5 Countries With Fastest Trains (Spain.5)

5 Countries With Fastest Trains

5.Spain

Train: AVE Class 103

Speed: 251 mph

Capacity: 404 passengers

Spain has the longest high-speed rail network in Europe, with 3,433 miles of tracks. With six high-speed train lines and several under construction, the Spanish government aims to have 90 percent of its population within 31 miles of a high-speed station by 2020.
The country’s fastest trains are the AVE series, which is manufactured by several train makers, including Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier. The Siemens-made AVE Class 103 train began commercial service in 2007, and hit a record speed of 251 mph during a test run between Madrid and Zaragoza. The maximum top speed for commercial trains in Spain is limited to 186 mph for passenger safety.
The euro-zone debt crisis and Portugal’s austerity plan have halted a major expansion plan, which would have linked Spain’s capital Madrid with Lisbon in Portugal. The high-speed train link would have cut travel time between the two cities to two hours and 45 minutes instead of the current nine hours.