Renfe (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Espa�oles), the main rail company, operates the vast majority of Spain's railways and provides suburban, regional and high speed trains. The RENFE network takes in all major cities of Spain and operates 14,738km (9,158miles) of track and 2,500 stations. In Madrid, the main rail terminals are located in the capital: Puerta de Atocha in the south and Chamart�n in the north, from where international trains depart, linking the city with Paris and Lisbon, as well as long-distance trains, linking Madrid with the other Spanish cities. Madrid is, in other words, the core of the Spanish railway network, serving international destinations with long-distance, high-speed trains, and regional trains.

Madrid maintains excellent connections with the southern capitals with the AVE (Alta Velocidad Espa�ola) high speed trains. In fact, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Malaga and Huelva enjoy the high-speed service of the comfortable AVE, and Talgo 200 trains, which both are equipped with great facilities. An ambitious plan includes the construction of a 7,000 kilometre (4,350 mi) network, centered on Madrid. The first stretch to be inaugurated was the Madrid-Barcelona, available in 2004. With this new project, the most important cities of Spain will be no more than 4 hours away to Madrid and no more than6 hours to Barcelona. By the year 2010, Madrid will finally be linked by high-speed railway services to all the Spanish capitals, in less than 4 hours. With the construction of this new railway system, Spain will have the largest high-speed network in the world.

The newest generation of Alaris, Talgo and Trans-Europe-Express trains are outstanding for their quality and speed. However, you pay a supplement to ride on these fast trains. Both first- and second-class fares are sold on Spanish trains. These trains travel daily from Madrid to Pamplona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Alicante and Barcelona. For longer trips, RENFE has a �train-hotel� service travelling by night to destinations such as Santiago de Compostela, Barcelona, Paris and Lisbon.

Rail passengers who visit Madrid from the UK or France should make couchette (bunk beds in a sleeper car) and sleeper reservations as far in advance as possible, especially during the peak summer season. For long journeys on Spanish rails, seat and sleeper reservations are mandatory. Trains from London to Madrid take at least a day with a change in Paris. Due to the fact that Spain's rail tracks are of a wider gauge than those used for French trains (except for the Trans-Europe-Express and TALGO trains), you'll probably have to change trains at the border unless you're on an express train. Prices for these services vary enormously, depending on when you travel and how far in advance you book. They start from about �120 and go up to about �500.

For further info:

Eurostar. (T 0870 6000 0796 in UK, T 1-800 EUROSTAR in the US or T 91 547 8442 in Spain).

Rail Europe. 179 Piccadilly, London W1V 0BA, T 08705 848 848, or Rail Europe US, T 1-800-438 7245

Arriving to Madrid by Air

Arriving to Madrid by Bus

Arriving to Madrid by Car

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