High speed rail access to Spain brings expats closer

Madrid is set to be just a mere 8 hour train trip from London under a new high-speed rail network link.

Over the next decade, European destinations will become increasingly linked by high-speed rail networks and the Spanish capital is one of the premier cities for such a system. The move is designed to offset the increasingly high-priced, seemingly dangerous, and heavily criticised air travel industry where fuel prices, seat restrictions and invasive security policies have led to high levels of dissatisfaction amongst airline passengers.

An additional high-speed rail network between Madrid and Paris is slated for opening within the next two years will see travel times of around five hours – hardly more than by plane and most probably with far less inconvenience and reduced costs. While presently flights from London to destinations such as Madrid in theory only take two-and-a-half-hours there are numerous hours added on when passengers are required to check-in some three hours before departure in addition to the relatively distant location of city airports in relation to railway stations which are predominantly in the city centre. In effect this means that travel from London’s St Pancras station to Madrid via Paris by train could take as little as nine hours, considerably less if and when a direct route is established.

The rail industry is certainly flavour of the month for politicos and environmentalists, not to mention those sick of airport hassles. Lord Adonis, the British Transport Secretary, has called for all short haul flights to be replaced by rail services in a bid to protect the environment.