In reply to Cman (because sad old Stevie has me on ignore for some strange reason ...
There is a huge difference between building infrastructure for the AVE with handouts and borrowed money, than providing all the design,engineering,testing and technology that went into making it n the first place.
Much is said of the French TGV imput, but nothing about the fact that it was actually based on a UK hi-speed design and development project that had previously been dropped, though for whatever reason I cannot recall.

The point is DD, that there is no point. Bragging about who made the tech first, or not, is childish and of no relevance to anything

Nice one Stevie.

So its much better to spend money trying to create a good impression with nice trains than to avoid kicking thousands of folk out into the streets and having them commit suicide.

Congratulations,

You've just about summed up your own sad twisted mentality there, without even a scrap of help from anyone else.

It is relevant to this thread which was obviously set up with one sadly misguided purpose, even if to nothing else.

Well that's true

Although officially at least, there are many more homeless people in the UK than in Spain even though there is no such thing as social housng in Spain. 100,000 vs 30,000

A very curious stat that one

As you say, "officially at least".

Those figures can easily be turned upside down in many ways.
Just look at the number of young couples in Spain who have no choice but to shack up with their parents as compared to the UK, just one example alone.

Anyway lets get back to trains, I'm beginning to quite enjoy this thread, so lets not spoil it talking about homeless people.

After all what do they matter compared to having nice trains, even if they are mostly empty ?

I watched a programme last night, Spain is the biggest recipient of fishing grants by a long way. They have been able to build loads of new boats, buy out licences, problem is they are all chasing too few fish. I wonder how that came about?

I thought this thread was about disseminating interesting snippets about the Spanish rail system.

I'm a bit disappointed at the way it's going.

How many times haev you travelled on the AVE?

I have 5 or 6 times, and it has been at least half full each time

Afraid it's looking like another major train crash, nay dare I say disaster, at the minute.
Now where is Amideislas, I'm sure she could demonstrate it much more clearly than me ?

I used the AVE mid week from Valencia to Madrid last month on a 11.40am (iirc) service, when you'd expect fewer passengers, and yet it was still fairly full. Other posters here have stated the train has been full or nearly full when they've used it.
What is the case is there needs to be more train services to utilise the system to the full. The recession hasn't helped, but we will see further demand for the system next year when the link to France opens up.

Sorry Cman but being a leisurely sort of person with a mainly agricultural background I love to take in the passing countryside in a much more interesting and educational fashion, so at present its definitely my least favoured mode of transport.

Anyway happy to see that your glass at least is half full, even if many others are more than half empty.

The more likely explanation is that the AVE tends to be used by businessman and not by retired expats

Which is why the people on here do not see its value

Between 2 of the 3 biggest cities, I would hope so, obviously not so clever and losing money elsewhere, though I'm sure Spain can afford it.

By the time, if ever, Spain has enough people able to afford and fill the AVEs, I reckon they will already be out of date and the Germans or Japs will have some new hi-tec system that will have left them trailing far behind in the slow lane.

Sorry Stevie, I really feel for you.

All the frustration and anguish of supposedly having me on ignore as well.