The trains in Spain are faster than the planes (NPR)

[bananas]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101408073

Spain's High Speed Trains Faster Than Planes

by Jerome Socolovsky

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Morning Edition, March 4, 2009 · President Obama's economic stimulus package includes $8 billion for speeding up train travel. America is far behind other industrial countries in high speed rail. A few years ago, Spain was also behind the curve. But the Spanish network is expanding fast, and the trains are beating planes.

[tridim]

1. By George, you've got it! I think you've got it!

[nanatois]

2. I would love train travel

If we had fast efficient train travel between cities, I for one would love it. I heard about this on NPR and wish the US would step up. San Antonio to Austin, it took my niece 3 hours to go what should have been under an hour because of huge traffic jams on Sunday.

[stuntcat]

3. it's Insane

:headbang: well not really insane! I LOVE trains.

[marmar]

4. The AVE, Spain's equivalent of the French TGV or German ICE, is awesome.....

..... I took a one-day excursion from Madrid down to Seville (a 340-mile journey each way) when I was in Spain and it was a breeze. Morning train down, evening train back, and I got to see quite a bit of Seville. Such an excursion by train in the U.S. on a 340-mile trip just isn't possible. The 250 miles from Detroit to Chicago takes 5+ hours on Amtrak.