http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-...-for-joy-ride/

The train now standing next to the fireplace in the living room is...........

Well there you go lady train drivers, or in this case Swedish would-be lady train drivers.

Best not give up your day job as a cleaner I would suggest young lady.

Unfortunately badly injured, but she has been charged nevertheless, so hopefully not too serious.

She parked. That's news?

Obviously the parking spot/garage was not quite sufficient to meet her requirements.

Better luck next time lady.

Renfe AVE lowering prices to "fill" their trains
(effective from 8th February)

In Spanish....
http://www.ideal.es/granada/rc/20130...301291224.html

Well it should have been done some time ago (although they already had discounts when booking ahead) but the new lower rate scheme has been very popular in its initial launch. Just shows there is a demand for high speed rail travel at the right price. Fingers crossed that all the extra travellers will mean extra spending in local shops/restaurants/hostales etc. and get the economy moving again.
http://www.02b.com/en/notices/2013/0...assed_3912.php

Talgo signs deal to design trains for Russia, following on their deal to supply 35 trains for the new Saudi high speed line.

http://www.europapress.es/economia/n...207135020.html

No news yet of an order for their new Avril concept train

Thats right, come and spend your money in the towns served by the high speed train.

But wont that affect the business in their towns if everyone spends elsewhere?

Based on my own experience, if I visit a town or seaside resort in my own country, I'll tend to eat out/stay in a b&b hotel/buy souvenirs etc. Staying at home I generally don't do those things. But yes, there will be a small percentage of people who spend exactly the same as in their home town (and a larger number who take the chance to visit relatives and avoid spending much at all).

Too bad for the towns that used to have a decent train service and are now left in the lurch as the hi-speed train whistles by them in the distance.

Much better to have a system as in the UK where most cities and towns still have a regular service from the 125.

Full trains, arses on seats, more income, better service for the population as a whole, not just the lucky few.

That's the lucky ones, most are standing!

Japan is going to introduce a mag-lev service and knock huge amounts of travel time.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete....html#comments

Yet another BRITISH invention that is going to be exploited by others whilst the sole remaining piece of the original is left in a small railway museum in Cambridgeshire.

`

Getting this subject back onto subject some news about the AVE line being built in (towards) Asturias.
A Fire.
Other problems (mixing the gauges)
A cost critic.

On and the mess RENFE made with the recent changes to the timetable in Galicia.
Link:

Still no cheering from "our" Steve about Spanish trains? Maybe this is why?
Another 4,500sq m building ( a station in the middle of nowhere).

Actually there has been brilliant news on the trains - I just thought you lot were bored of this subject 99% occupancy on the first day http://www.abc.es/local-alicante/201...Y51aWM.twitter There have been 70,000 tickets sold in a week for this service! ( a 42% increase over the same route in 2012). Just as well that available seats have been increased from 4,800 to 6,300 per day.

I'm afraid the jealous foreigners are going to find it very hard making sense of their knee-jerk knocks on this line - it's expected to be a very profitable line.

As for the station at Villena you mention, it's actually in place for the high speed link still being built from Valencia to Alicante, and connecting roads probably don't need to be in place until that link is completed. As you can tell from this map it makes a lot of sense.