Follow Spain Immigration and Life in Spain: At 7:15 AM local time on the 15th, a direct train from Paris, France, to Barcelona, Spain, departed from the station, marking the official launch of direct high-speed rail service between Spain and France. The travel time from Barcelona to Paris has been reduced to 6.5 hours. Additionally, on the 15th, direct high-speed rail lines were opened between Madrid and Marseille, Barcelona and Toulouse, and Barcelona and Lyon. Ana Pastor, Spain's Minister of Public Works and Transport, noted at the opening ceremony that the launch of these high-speed rail services signifies a new era in transportation connectivity between the two countries.
Carlos Peñarosa, Director of the News Department at the Spanish International Economic Group, pointed out in an interview with our reporter that high-speed rail is a source of national pride for Spain. Spain launched its first high-speed rail line in 1992, coinciding with the Barcelona Olympics and the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World. Today, Spain's high-speed rail network has reached 3,100 kilometers, ranking second in the world, surpassed only by China.
According to a joint study conducted by the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the University of Cantabria, Spain has nearly 0.5 kilometers of high-speed rail for every 10,000 residents, ranking first in the world and double that of Japan. However, at the same time, the average Spanish citizen takes 0.5 high-speed rail trips per year, a significant gap compared to the 2.2 trips per year taken by the average Japanese citizen. Facing the issue of low high-speed rail utilization, the Spanish government began directing the Spanish National Railway Company (Renfe) at the beginning of this year to significantly reduce high-speed rail ticket prices, with discounts reaching up to 70%.
