AVE, short for
Alta Velocidad Española, "Spanish High
Speed", is the name of the
Spanish high speed train system.
Essentially a repackaged
TGV Atlantique, the AVE can achieve
speeds of up to 300 km/h on dedicated track.
The AVE started running between Madrid and Sevilla on
April 21, 1992, a distance of 471 km.
At time of writing, construction for
a high-speed track connecting Madrid and Barcelona is under way,
and there are firm plans for extending the system to
Valencia, Alicante and eventually the French TGV network as well.
All AVE trains are operated by RENFE (Spanish State Railways).