AVE
523382
226109368
2008-07-16T21:25:53Z
84.9.136.29
Correct speed conversions for consistency and correctness
{{otheruses}}
[[Image:AVE Tarragona-Madrid.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Talgo|Talgo 350]] train operating an AVE service between Tarragona and Madrid.]]
[[Image:RN102014MonJPVL.JPG|thumb|250px|Train number 102-014 near Montblanc]]
'''AVE''', an [[acronym]] for {{lang|es|'''Alta Velocidad Española'''}} (literally, "Spanish High Speed," but also a play on the word {{lang|es|''ave''}}, meaning "bird" in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]), is a service of [[high speed train]]s operating at speeds of up to {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} on dedicated track.
Unlike the rest of the Spanish [[broad gauge|broad-gauge]] network, the AVE uses [[standard gauge]], permitting direct connections outside Spain in the future. All AVE trains are currently operated by [[RENFE]], the Spanish state railway company, although it is possible that private companies may be allowed to run lines in the future.
On the line from Madrid to Sevilla, the service guarantees arrival within a 5 minutes of the advertised time, and offers a full refund if the train is delayed further, although only 0.16% of trains have been so. In this regard, the punctuality of the AVE is exceptional compared to other non long distance [[RENFE]] services. On other AVE lines, this punctuality promise is more lax (15 minutes on the Barcelona line).
==History==
===New Rail Link to Andalusia===
{{main|Madrid-Sevilla high-speed rail line}}
[[Image:AVE.png|thumb|right|Map showing high-speed '''railway lines''' currently in operation (with opening date), under construction, and planned. Also shows upgraded lines.]]
[[Image:HighSpeedSpain-February2008.png|thumb|right|Map showing ''high speed services'' already in operation, under construction, planned or in study (February 2008). Also shows upgraded lines.]]
Towards the end of the 1980s a new line was planned to join the Castilian [[Meseta]] with [[Andalusia]] without passing through the Despeñaperros national park. After considering various options it was decided that a standard-gauge line, allowing for Spain's first high speed rail link, would be built. The project was named N.A.F.A. (Nuevo Acceso Ferroviario a Andalucía/New Rail Link to Andalusia) and was meant to help revitalise the stagnant southern Spanish economy. The line was inaugurated on the [[14 April]] [[1992]] to coincide with Expo 92 being held in Seville. Seven days later on [[21 April]] [[1992]] commercial service began with six daily services stopping at [[Madrid]], [[Seville]], [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Puertollano]] and [[Ciudad Real]]. In October 1992 RENFE began the AVE Lanzadera service between Madrid and [[Puertollano]] and [[Ciudad Real]].
It has been suggested that the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]] government chose the French [[Alstom]] bid over the [[Siemens AG|Siemens]] and [[Talgo]] bids for political rather than technical reasons, rewarding the French government for its assistance in capturing [[ETA]] activists who took "[[sanctuary]]" across the border in southern France.<ref><nowiki>http://www.diariolatorre.es/index.php?id=39&tx_ttnews[pointer]=6&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4021&tx_ttnews[backPid]=46&cHash=e01ceacfd2</nowiki> 'Diario La Torre, interview with [[Rafa Sánchez]].</ref> Seville's hosting of the 1992 [[World's Fair]] prompted its choice for the inaugural AVE line, but there were also accusations that the Spanish head of government [[Felipe González]] favoured his home city;<ref>[http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=2862 Café Babel, 13 November 2007] (by Nicholas Newman)</ref> apparently, he conceded to support Barcelona in bidding for the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] if Sevilla would be connected to the AVE first.<ref>[http://www.lavanguardia.es/lv24h/20071117/53412390624.html La Vanguardia, 17 November 2007]</ref> On the other hand, Sevilla is still the fourth biggest city in Spain, after Madrid, [[Barcelona]] and [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]], with a population of some 700,000.
In January 1993 the ''Talgo 200 Madrid–Málaga'' service commenced, which used AVE lines as far as Cordoba and then Spanish gauge conventional track to reach [[Malaga]]. On 23 April of that year, the AVE set a new top speed of {{convert|356.8|km/h|abbr=on}} on a test run. Later in 1993 the mixed-method services ''Talgo 200 Madrid–Cádiz'' and ''Talgo 200 Madrid–Huelva'' began.
In 1994 AVE trains on the [[Madrid]] - [[Seville]] line began to run at {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, cutting journey times by 40 minutes and covering the {{convert|471|km|0|abbr=on}} in just 2½ hours.
Although in 1999 RENFE began a mixed-service ''Talgo 200 Madrid–Algeciras'' route, this was, along with the other mixed services, transferred to ''Grandes Líneas Renfe'' (RENFE's Spanish gauge long-distance brand) following changes to plans for high speed rail in Spain.
The last segment of the [[Madrid]] - [[Málaga]] line was completed on [[December 24]] [[2007]].
===AVANT - Media Distancia===
[[Image:Renfe clase 100.JPG|right|thumb|AVE "Alstom" trainset at Córdoba.]]
In December 2004 a new medium distance service (''AV Media Distancia'' operating under the 'Lanzadera' brand) began between Seville and Cordoba using new S-104 trains, reducing journey times between the two cities to 40 minutes. In 2005 the brand was renamed RENFE Avant and a further service was launched: Madrid–Ciudad Real–Puertollano.
The construction of a {{convert|21|km|adj=on}} stretch of high speed line from Madrid to [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] allowed the inauguration of a medium distance service in November 2005. The journey time between the two cities is now less than 30 minutes. The high speed link combined with high property prices in Madrid has encouraged many Madrid commuters to settle in [[Ciudad Real]], the first stop on the Madrid-Seville line. There has, however, been controversy over the construction of this line as the change to standard gauge track meant that large towns such as [[Getafe]], [[Aranjuez]] and [[Algodor]], which now has no commercial services, lost their direct services to Toledo. Furthermore since Toledo is now connected by standard gauge track it is impossible for other passenger or goods trains to reach it that haven't come from other high speed lines.
Further Avant services have been launched with the expansion of the AVE to Valladolid and Barcelona. See below for details of all Avant services.
===Madrid-Barcelona===
{{main|Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line}}
[[Image:AVE a Lleida.jpg|thumb|[[Talgo|Talgo 350]] train at Lleida Pirineus station]]
In 2003 construction of the first phase of a new standard gauge line from Madrid to the French border (Madrid–Zaragoza–Lérida ) was completed and on [[11 October]] of that year commercial service began. This service also stops at Guadalajara–Yebes and [[Calatayud]]. The service began running at only {{convert|200|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. On 19 May 2006, after two years of operation, speed was upped to {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}} when the Spanish [[Train protection system|ASFA]] signalling system was replaced with level 1 of the new European [[European Train Control System|ETCS/ERTMS]] system. On 16 October 2006 the trains on this line increased their operating speed to {{convert|280|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.
On the [[18 December]] [[2006]] the AVE started operating to [[Camp de Tarragona]], and on 7 May 2007 the service increased its speed to the maximum allowable for the line, {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. This puts Tarragona at 30 minutes from Lérida. The extension to Barcelona was delayed various times due to technical problems; the Ministerio de Formento having originally forecast the AVE's arrival in Barcelona by the end of 2007.<ref>[http://www.lavanguardia.es/gen/20061218/51297191921/noticias/el-ave-llega-a-tarragona-lleida-madrid-barcelona-jose-montilla-generalitat-fomento-campo-magdalena-alvarez-joaquim-nadal-joan-rangel-joan-clos-girona.html La Vanguardia, 18 December 2006]</ref>
The [[Madrid]]-[[Zaragoza]]-[[Barcelona]] line was inaugurated on [[February 20]] [[2008]]. Seventeen trains run now every day between the hours of 6 am-9 pm. This line is now one of the world's fastest long-distance trains in commercial operation, with non stop trains covering the {{convert|621|km|0|abbr=on}} between the two cities in just 2 hours 38 minutes, and those stopping at all stations 3 hours 23 minutes. Before the high speed line was built, the journey between the two cities took almost six hours and when the high speed line went only as far as Tarragona, via Zaragoza, 3 hours 45 minutes, with the Alvia service (120 series train), which continued on the conventional line to Barcelona, after a change of rail gauge.
It was originally forecast that, after reaching Barcelona in 2004, the line would run at {{convert|350|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, the maximum capable speed of the new Siemens AVE trains which have replaced the Talgo Bombardier AVE S102, after the installation of level 2 of the [[European Train Control System|ETCS/ERTMS]], which is scheduled to be installed in 2008. But on the AVE's first day of operating at {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}} to Tarragona the Minister of Public Works, Magdalena Álvarez, stated that the maximum commercial operating speeds of the AVE on all lines would be {{convert|300|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.lavanguardia.es/gen/20070507/51343707969/noticias/la-velocidad-comercial-maxima-del-ave-en-espanya-sera-de-300-kmh-madrid-tarragona-barcelona-fomento-magdalena-alvarez-talgo-antonio-gonzalez-sevilla.html La Vanguardia, 7 May 2007]</ref>
It is forecast that the AVE will substantially replace air traffic on the Barcelona - Madrid route (in the same way that the [[Eurostar]] has on the [[LGV Nord|London-Paris]]/London-Brussels routes and France's [[TGV]] has on the [[LGV Sud-Est|Paris-Lyon route]]). In fact, more than 80% of travellers between Madrid and Seville use the AVE, with fewer than 20% travelling by air.<ref>Juan Carlos Martín and Gustavo Nombela, "Microeconomic impacts of investments in high speed trains in Spain", ''Annals of Regional Science'', vol. 41, no. 3, September, 2007</ref>. In order to compete with each other RENFE has made, and Iberia will make, changes to their fare structures, as well as changing services; Iberia plans to use smaller planes which will leave as soon as full, and a non-stop AVE service is available between the two capitals.
'''Criticism'''
There was much criticism during the construction of the Madrid-Barcelona line. A highly critical report by the consulting firm [[KPMG]], commissioned by ADIF (''Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias'') at the behest of the Ministry for Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento) on [[June 23]] 2004, pointed to a lack of in-depth studies and over-hasty execution of works as the most important reasons for the problems that dogged construction of the AVE line. For example, during the construction of the AVE tunnel near Barcelona, a number of nearby buildings suffered minor damage from a large sinkhole that appeared near a commuter rail station, damaging one of its platforms. The construction committee of Barcelona's famed [[Sagrada Familia]] church lobbied for a re-routing of the tunnel - it passes within meters of the massive church's foundations. It also passes equally near the [[UNESCO]]-recognized [[Casa Milà]] also designed by [[Antoni Gaudi]].
Furthermore, until 2005 both [[Siemens]] and [[Talgo]]/[[Bombardier Transportation|Bombardier]] [[Electric Multiple Unit|train sets]] failed to meet scheduled speed targets, although in a test run during the homologation tests of the new S102 trains of [[RENFE]], a train-set [[Talgo]] 350 (AVE S-102) reached a speed of {{convert|365|km/h|abbr=on}} on the night of the 25th to the 26th of June, and on July 2006 a [[Siemens Velaro]] train-set (AVE S-103) reached the highest top speed ever in Spain: {{convert|403.7|km/h|abbr=on}}. This is a Spanish record for railed vehicles and a [[Land speed record for railed vehicles|world record]] for unmodified commercial service trainsets, as the earlier [[TGV]] and [[InterCityExpress|ICE]] records were achieved with specially modified and shortened trainsets, and the [[Shinkansen]] ({{convert|443|km/h|abbr=on}}, 1996) record was for a test (non-commercial) trainset. However, running HSR trains is not a simple matter of making a train run fast. Energy usage, comfort, vibration, noise through tunnels and near homes, weather, [[Hydroplaning (tires)|hydroplaning]], front end lift, everyday safety, disaster management, ease of use, wear and tear costs, construction costs, station design, routine maintenance of trains, rails, power lines, security, [[interoperability]], ticket prices, [[Public transport timetable|schedules]], passenger load and congestion are all factors that keep speeds to "manageable" levels.
===Madrid-Valladolid===
[[Image:Viaducto Arroyo del Valle (Madrid) 02.jpg|thumb|Arroyo del Valle Viaduct on the Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid high-speed railway line. An AVE-S 102 is on its way from Madrid to Valladolid.]]
[[Image:2007-12-23-08 Estación de Madrid-Chamartín.jpg|thumb|First AVE composition in regular service between Madrid and Valladolid (Spain), arriving at Madrid Chamartin station, at 9:37 on December 23, 2007]]
The [[Madrid]]-[[Segovia]]-[[Valladolid]] line was inaugurated on [[December 22]] [[2007]]. It Includes a tunnel of {{convert|28|km}} at [[Guadarrama]], which is the [[List of tunnels by length|fourth longest train tunnel]] in Europe. Valladolid will become the hub for all AVE lines connecting the north and the north west of Spain with the rest of the country. Trainsets used on this line include S120 (max speed {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}), [[Talgo]] [[Talgo 250|S130]] (''Patito'', max speed {{convert|250|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}) and the [[Talgo 350|S102]] (''Pato'', max speed {{convert|320|km/h|0|abbr=on|disp=s}}).
== Trains ==
Currently, there are several series of High speed trains that run the AVE service:
*'''[[AVE Class 100|S/100]]''', manufactured by Alstom
*'''[[AVE Class 102|S/102]]''', manufactured by Talgo and Bombardier
*'''[[AVE Class 103|S/103]]''', manufactured by Siemens, marketed globally under the brand [[Siemens Velaro]]
There are also other series of trains that are considered high speed, but don't run under the AVE name. They run under the brand Alvia, and are variable gauge trains. They can run on High speed lines at a maximum of {{convert|250|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, and can also change between standard and Iberian gauge lines without stopping. The trains that are operated under the Alvia brand are:
*'''S/120''', manufactured by CAF and Alstom
*'''S/130''', manufactured by Talgo and Bombardier
==Operational Services==
Currently the Spanish high speed network is made up of the following services:
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Madrid]]–[[Seville]]}} via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, and Córdoba.
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Madrid]]–[[Valladolid]]}} via Segovia.
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Madrid]]–[[Barcelona]]}} via Guadalajara, Calatayud, [[Zaragoza]], Lleida and Tarragona.
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Barcelona]]–[[Seville]]}} via [[Zaragoza]], Córdoba and Madrid.
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Barcelona]]–[[Málaga]]}} via [[Zaragoza]], Córdoba and Madrid.
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Madrid]]–[[Huesca]]}} via Guadalajara, Calatayud, and [[Zaragoza]].
*{{lang|es|AVE [[Madrid]]–[[Málaga]]}} via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba, and Antequera.
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') {{lang|es|[[Madrid]]–[[Ciudad Real]]–[[Puertollano]]}}.
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Madrid]]–[[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]].
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Málaga]]–[[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]]–[[Seville]] via [[Antequera]] and Puente Genil
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Segovia]]–[[Madrid]].
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Calatayud]]–[[Zaragoza]]
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Zaragoza]]–[[Huesca]]
*{{lang|es|AVANT}} (''mid distance'') [[Barcelona]]–[[Lleida]]
*{{lang|es|ALVIA}} (''mixed high speed-conventional'') [[Madrid]]–[[Irún]], via Valladolid, Burgos and San Sebastián.
*{{lang|es|ALVIA}} (''mixed high speed-conventional'') [[Madrid]]–[[Bilbao]], via Valladolid and Burgos.
*{{lang|es|ALVIA}} (''mixed high speed-conventional'') [[Santander]]–[[Alicante]], via Madrid and Valladolid.
*{{lang|es|ALVIA}} (''mixed high speed-conventional'') [[Gijón]]–[[Alicante]], via Valladolid and Madrid.
*{{lang|es|ALVIA}} (''mixed high speed-conventional'') [[Madrid]]–[[Logroño]].
The central hub of the system is Madrid's [[Atocha|Puerta de Atocha]], except for the Valladolid line, which terminates at Chamartin Station.
==Construction and current development==
===Northeastern Corridor - to the French Border===
{{main|LGV Perpignan-Figueras}}
Construction is currently underway to connect the new high speed line from Barcelona to the French [[TGV|TGV network]] via the [[Perthus tunnel]] under the Pyrenees.
The line from Barcelona to Figueres is scheduled to open in 2012, while the line from Figueres to Perpignan is set to open in 2009. France has yet to commit to the construction of the section between Perpignan and Montpellier. As a result trains will use the existing regular railway line north of Perpignan to reach the TGV Network at Montpellier.
The line will be operated by [[Talgo]] and [[Siemens AG]] train sets, although it will require special train sets. The French line Perpignan - Montpellier is electrified at 1.5 kv DC, but Spanish trains use 25 kV AC. However French trains are dual-voltage allowing both TGV and regional trains to operate on the line. All Spanish trains are single-voltage.
===North-Northwestern Corridors===
*[[Bilbao]]-[[Vitoria-Gasteiz|Vitoria]]-[[Donostia-San Sebastián|San Sebastian]] ([[Basque Y]]). This line will connect the three Basque capitals in 2011. Planned connection with Madrid via Valladolid, and with the French border via [[Irún]] and [[Bayonne]].
*[[Madrid]]-[[Pamplona]]. It will be operational in 2012. There is a planned extension to connect Pamplona with the Basque line and the French border.
*{{lang|es|Variante de Pajares}}. This line will cross a very mountainous area between [[León (province)|León]] and [[Asturias]]. Planned extension to connect Valladolid with [[Oviedo]] and [[Gijón]].
*{{lang|es|Eje Atlántico de Alta Velocidad}} (''Atlantic line''). This line will connect all Galician coastal cities, including [[La Coruña]], [[Santiago de Compostela]] and [[Vigo]], with the Portuguese border, and eventually, with [[Porto]].
*[[Orense]]-[[Santiago de Compostela]]. First segment of the line that will connect [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] and the Atlantic line with Madrid, via Valladolid.
===Southwest - Portuguese Corridor===
*[[Cáceres]]-[[Mérida]]-[[Badajoz]]-[[Lisbon]]. This line will connect the two peninsular capitals in 3 hours, connecting the south west region of [[Extremadura]] to the High Speed network. This line has been an important matter in bilateral summits during the last years. Spanish track should be completed around 2010 and the Portuguese one around 2015. It is not clear if there will finally be a station in the Spanish town of [[Mérida]].
===Eastern Corridor===
*Madrid-[[Cuenca]]-[[Albacete]]-{{lang|es|Arco mediterráneo}} (''Mediterranean Arc''). This line will connect Madrid with [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]], [[Alicante]], [[Murcia]] and [[Almería]]. Expected 2009.
==Future Planned Lines==
In the short term other connections to the LGV are planned. A new line to France is under construction at [[La Jonquera]] in [[Catalonia]] with another proposed at [[Irun]] in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]]. <!-- The selection of connection points "has led to discussions about the sharing of the state investments" - not sure what this means, will research further --> Other new lines are under consideration, including a line connecting [[Soria]] to the Madrid-Barcelona line at [[Calatayud]]. Finally, the Madrid-Barcelona line currently terminates in Barcelona's Estació de Sants, there has, however, been talk of a new station being built on the other side of the city in [[Estación de la Sagrera|La Sagrera]].
In the long term the Spanish government has an ambitious plan to have {{convert|7000|km}} of high-speed rail operational by 2010, with all provincial capitals at most only 4 hours from [[Madrid]], and 6½ hours from [[Barcelona]]. According to the Strategic Plan for train infrastructures developed by the Spanish Ministerio de Fomento ''Ministry of Public Works'', called PEIT, a second expansion program is planned to start in 2010-11, when the last lines of the first program still under construction begin to operate. This plan has a ten-year scope, ending 2020, and its ambition is to make the {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} network reach {{convert|10000|km}} by the end of that year. This would be the most extensive network in Europe, with several operational links with France and Portugal and is by far the most ambitious high speed rail plan in the [[European Union]].
Critics of this scheme point out that raising the average speed of Spain's regional trains would achieve a much greater global impact at much less cost. At present, there are some rural lines where average speeds barely exceed {{convert|60|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. The speed between some provincial capitals is little better; for example, it takes some 9½ hours to cover the {{convert|784|km}} between [[León, Spain|León]] and Barcelona.
On the other hand there has been a great improvement of speed and time with trains that link Madrid with other capitals that do not have direct AVE connections, but that use the high speed line for most of the route, such as
*[[Huelva]] (4 h 50 min),
*[[Cádiz]] (4 h 55 min),
*[[Pamplona]] (2 h 59 min),
*[[Logroño]] (3 h 40 min),
*[[Irún]] (5 h 19 min),
*[[Bilbao]] (4 h 46 min),
*[[San Sebastián]] (5 h 20 min) and
*[[Santander]] (4 h 25 min).
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.renfe.es/ave/index.html AVE at the RENFE] {{es}}
* [http://www.lavanguardia.es/gen/20061016/51287947166/noticias/arranca-el-ave-madrid-lleida-a-280-kmh-zaragoza-barcelona-lerida-talgo.html current information and recent future of the Madrid-Lleida line] {{es}}
{{High-speed rail}}
[[Category:RENFE]]
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