Infrastructure

Railway services

Renfe is the state-owned passenger and freight rail transport company while Adif is the  state-owned company that is responsible for the overall railway infrastructure in Spain.

  • Long distance AVE (alta velocidad/high-speed) trains operate at speeds of up to 310 km/h. Renfe is the sole operator for this kind of service.
  • Long distance conventional trains (Intercity trains) operate at a maximum speed of 200 km/h. Renfe is the sole operator for this kind of service.
  • Medium distance trains can be either conventional or high-speed trains. Renfe is the sole operator for this kind of service.
  • Local trains (cercanías) operate in the metropolitan areas. They are high-capacity high-frequency trains operating on commuting distances. Local trains are operated by Renfe and a number of privately owned competitors like Rodalia for instance.

    AVE at Chamartín railwaystation (Madrid)
    AVE at Chamartín railwaystation (Madrid)

Bus services
Bus services in Spain run to more than 170 destinations in a maximum journey time of 12 hours and there are a host of companies operating buses all over Spain.
The major bus operator for longer distances is ALSA.

Estación de autobuses (Santiago de Compostela)
Estación de autobuses (Santiago de Compostela)

Road network

There are over the 16000 kilometres of motorway throughout the country and the web of highways and local roads is well expanded and in good condition. Some motorways though are toll roads but the price is fairly low.

Car transporter (Bilbao)
Car transporter (Bilbao)

Major airports

  • Madrid (MAD, Barajas)
  • Barcelona (BCN, El Prat de Llobregat)
  • Málaga (AGP, Pablo Ruiz Picasso)
  • Palma de Mallorca (PMI, Son Sant Joán)
  • Alicante (ALC, El Altet)

Underground services

There are underground railways in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia.

Tram services

Beginning with Valencia in 1994 trams have been reintroduced in Bilbao, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Tenerife, Murcia, and Zaragoza.

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