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Spain by Train
Spanish trains are the most inexpensive in Europe. All cities in Spain,are very well coneted by trains.The National Railways in Spain is called RENFE (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles), which provide a very exceptional service. Most railways are operated by RENFE; narrow-gauge lines are operated by FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha) and other carriers in individual autonomous communitites.
For long journeys, the TALGO (Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol) is a good option. Fast, comfortable and efficient. TALGO and Inter-city trains have buffet and bar services onboard. Train tickets can be purchased in advance from main stations, ticket agents and authorised travel agents
Besides the regular trains and sleeper cars, RENFE has inaugurated the AVE (Alta Velocidad Española), a high speed train linking Madrid and Seville in a time of three hours, as well as series of special trains. The most outstanding is the "Expreso Al.Andalus" (Al Andalus Express) which departs from Seville each week and for 5 days tours Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, and Jerez de la Frontera. The price of the ticket includes the visits to these cities, meals at the finest restaurants in each one, "fiestas" and typical shows plus dinner and lodging on a truly special train that includes a discotheque, video room, bars and the luxury and comfort of the finest hotel.
Another tourist train with similar characteristics is the "Transcantabrico" which tours the north of Spain.
RENFE has established a series of special prices and discounts. Some of them are:
- "Dias Azules" (Blue Days) are dates that do not coincide with holidays. You can travel by rail with a 50% discount.
- The "Tarjeta Joven" (Youth Card) allows the bearer, whose age must be between 12 and 25, to travel with a 50% discount on all tickets providing that travelling dates coincide with the "Blue Days".
- The "Tarjeta Turistica" (Tourist Card), reserved for travellers worldwide, allows unrestricted circulation, without kilometre limitation, on any RENFE line. Its price varies depending on the duration of travel time requested, which may be 3, 5 or 10 days.
- The "Euro- Railpass" (Eurail Pass) It can be purchased in the country of origin (Europe) and provides unlimited travel rights on any line. Its price also varies according to duration, which can be 15, 25, 30, 60, or 90 days.
On the other hand, in December 2003, Spain and Morocco agreed to explore the construction of an undersea rail tunnel to connect their rail systems. The 39-kilometre long rail tunnel will run from Punta Malabata near Tangiers to Punta Palomas, 40 km west of Gibraltar. At this point the Mediterranean Sea is only 300 metres deep. Also, the gauge of the tunnel would be 1435mm to match the proposed construction and conversion of significant parts of the existing broad gauge system to standard gauge.
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