Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is a high-speed rail service operated by Renfe, the Spanish State railway company. The first AVE service was inaugurated in 1992, with the introduction of the first Spanish high-speed railway connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. In addition to Renfe's use of the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias-managed rail infrastructure in Spain, Renfe offers two AVE services partially in France, connecting respectively Barcelona-Lyon and Madrid-Marseille. translates to "Spanish High Speed", but the initials are also a play on the word , meaning "bird". AVE trains operate at speeds of up to ."Velocidades máximas de los trenes y de las líneas" (maximum speeds of the trains and of the lines), last updated on 10 December 2022, accessed on 7 May 2023.
Services Renfe offers the following AVE services:
Eastern corridor Madrid–Alicante via Cuenca, Albacete, and Villena (non-stop trains and trains with limited stops also scheduled). Madrid–Castellón via Cuenca, Requena-Utiel and Valencia. Madrid–Murcia via Elche and Orihuela (some trains arrive in Alicante and reverse to continue to Murcia). Madrid–Valencia via Cuenca and Requena-Utiel (non-stop trains also scheduled).
Northeast corridor Madrid–Barcelona via Guadalajara, Calatayud, Zaragoza, Lleida, and Tarragona (non stop trains and trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Madrid–Figueres via Guadalajara, Calatayud, Zaragoza, Lleida, Tarragona, Barcelona and Girona (trains are scheduled with selective stops). Madrid–Huesca via Guadalajara, Calatayud, Zaragoza, and Tardienta.
Northern corridor Madrid–Gijón via Valladolid, Palencia, León and Oviedo. Madrid–León via Segovia, Valladolid and Palencia.
Northwest corridor Madrid–A Coruña via Zamora, Ourense and Santiago De Compostela. Madrid–Ourense via Zamora. Madrid–Vigo via Zamora, Sanabria, A Gudiña, Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Pontevedra (trains with selective stops are also scheduled).
Southern corridor Madrid–Granada via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba, Puente Genil-Herrera, Antequera and Loja (trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Madrid–Málaga via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba, Puente Genil-Herrera, and Antequera (non stop trains and trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Madrid–Seville via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, and Córdoba (non stop trains and trains with selective stops are also scheduled).
Cross-country Alicante–León via Albacete, Cuenca, Madrid Chamartín, Valladolid and Palencia. Alicante–Ourense via Albacete, Cuenca, Madrid Chamartín and Zamora. Barcelona–Granada via Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba and Antequera. Barcelona–Málaga via Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Puente Genil-Herrera, and Antequera. Barcelona–Seville via Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Puertollano and Córdoba (trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Burgos–Murcia via Valladolid, Segovia, Madrid-Chamartín, Elche and Orihuela. Gijón–Castellón via Oviedo, Mieres Del Camín, La Pola, León, Palencia, Valladolid, Segovia, Madrid-Chamartín, Cuenca, Valencia and Sagunto. Gijón–Vinaros, via Oviedo, Mieres Del Camín, La Pola, León, Palencia, Valladolid, Segovia, Madrid-Chamartín, Cuenca, Valencia, Sagunto, Castellón, Benicàssim, Oropesa del Mar and Benicarló (only in summertime). Huesca–Seville via Tardienta, Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara, Madrid-Puerta de Atocha and Córdoba Málaga–Murcia via Madrid-Puerta de Atocha, Cuenca, Albacete, Villena, Alicante, Elche and Orihuela. Valencia–Burgos via Requena-Utiel, Cuenca, Madrid Chamartín and Valladolid (trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Valencia–León via Requena-Utiel, Cuenca, Madrid-Chamartín, Segovia, Valladolid and Palencia (trains with selective stops are also scheduled). Valencia–Seville via Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Puertollano, and Córdoba.
International services Source: Barcelona–Lyon via Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, Narbonne, Montpellier, Nîmes, and Valence. Madrid–Marseille via Guadalajara, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Barcelona, Girona, Figueres, Perpignan, Narbonne, Béziers, Montpellier, Nîmes, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.
The central hub of the AVE system is Madrid's Puerta de Atocha, except for the Madrid–Asturias, Madrid–Burgos, Madrid–Galicia and Madrid–Alicante lines as well as the majority of the services on the Madrid-Murcia and Madrid-Valencia lines, that terminate at Chamartín station. Madrid Atocha and Chamartín station are linked by Madrid Metro (Line 1) and Cercanías Madrid services but not by any standard gauge lines, making it difficult for high speed trains to serve both.
Trains There are several series of high-speed trains that run the AVE service: S-100, manufactured by Alstom, based on the TGV family trains. S-102, manufactured by Talgo and Bombardier, marketed globally as Talgo 350. S-103, manufactured by Siemens, marketed globally under the brand Siemens Velaro. S-106, manufactured by Talgo, marketed globally as Talgo AVRIL. S-112, manufactured by Talgo and Bombardier, an improved version of the S-102 with a different seat layout.
UnitTop speedSeating capacityNumber in ServiceFirst builtkm/hmphS-100300186329221991S-102350220318162005S-103350220404262007S-106380240> 500 735 (low cost version202012S-112350220365252010
Passenger usage The still-growing network transported a record 43.8 million passengers in 2025. Though the network length is extensive, it lags in ridership behind comparable high-speed rail systems in Japan, France, Germany, China, Taiwan, and Korea.
+AVE passengers in millions from 2006 to 2024rowspan="2" 2006 2007 2008 2009 4.878 5.559 11.461 11.250rowspan="2" 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 10.851 12.563 12.101 14.697 17.967 19.428 20.352 21.108 21.332 22.370rowspan="2" 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 7.603 12.282 23.562 31.784 39.019 43.786
Rail infrastructure in Spain and Europe Rail transport in Spain High-speed rail in Spain High-speed rail in Europe Train categories in Europe
Notes
References
External links
AVE (Renfe)