Prof. A. López Pita

In December 1988, the Spanish government decided to build a new line from Madrid to the French border (via Barcelona). A line that would link up with the new Madrid-Seville line, having a total length (Seville-French border) of approximately 1200 km. This paper succinctly describes the path followed by Spanish railways for the purpose of being able to offer a high speed service. The main features of the Madrid-Seville line are described, and the plans currently envisaged for linking this line up with the French high-speed network via the new Madrid-Barcelona-Perpignan line are presented.