From Barcelona to Madrid in less than two hours

Spanish high-speed trains are set to travel at top speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour. Such a speed is currently only achieved in China, said Transport Minister Óscar Puente at the project's launch. For comparison, the top speed of French TGV trains in regular service is 320 kilometers per hour.

The first route to be upgraded in Spain will be the connection between the metropolises of Madrid and Barcelona. This is to be completed within the next three years, said Puente.

The roughly 670 kilometers could then be covered in under two hours. At present, however, the AVE trains—despite reaching top speeds slightly above 300 kilometers per hour—require at least two and a half hours to complete the same journey.

With a total length of more than 4,000 kilometers, Spain's high-speed rail network is the largest in Europe. The Spanish government expects to invest the equivalent of 55 billion Swiss francs over the next four years in expanding the rail and road network, as well as ports and airports.