View source for Transport in Spain

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}
[[File:Euromed on viaduct through cityscape.jpg|thumb|250x250px|[[Euromed (train)|Euromed]] train]]
'''Transport in Spain''' is characterised by a network of roads, railways (including having high speed rail network that is the [[List of high-speed railway lines|second longest in the world]]), trams, air routes, and ports. Its geographic location makes it an important link between Europe, Africa, and the [[Americas]]. Major forms of transit generally radiate from the capital, [[Madrid]], located in the centre of the country, to link with the capitals of the [[autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous communities]].

Spanish transit is marked by a high degree of integration between its long-distance railway system and inner-city [[Rapid transit|metro]] systems, although the historic use of [[broad gauge]] has limited integration with its neighbours. Spain is currently working to increase and improve linkage with the rail systems of France and Portugal, including the [[high-speed rail]] line between [[Madrid]] and [[Lisbon]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=13 April 2016|title=ESI funds to improve Madrid – Lisboa connection|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/esi-funds-to-improve-madrid-lisboa-connection/42342.article|access-date=2020-03-26|website=[[Railway Gazette International]]|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:The evening rush.jpg|thumb|A motorway in Spain]]
Spain's highway system is developed, with both tolled and free motorways.{{cn|date=January 2024}} Air traffic is routed through several international and regional airports, the largest of which is [[Barajas International Airport]] in Madrid.

== Rail transport and AVE transport ==
{{Main|Rail transport in Spain}}
[[File:High speed and mixed high-speed services via conventional lines in Spain.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|High speed network in Spain as of December 2024]]
[[Image:Spain-Railways.png|thumb|right|Spanish Railways network]]
[[File:MadridCAF1969.jpg|thumb|right|A PCC tram build by MMC (Material Móvil y Construcciones) in Madrid in 1969, near Atocha Station.]]
Spanish railways [[History of rail transport in Spain|date from 1848]]. The total route length in 2017 was 15,333&nbsp;km, of which 9,699&nbsp;km were electrified.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 April 2021|title=The World Factbook - Europe - Spain|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/spain/|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> Four different [[track gauge]]s are used in Spain.

{{Main|Track gauge in Spain}}

*''[[Iberian gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1668mm}}): 11,333&nbsp;km (6,538&nbsp;km electrified at 3 kV DC)
*''[[Standard gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1435mm}}): 2,571&nbsp;km (all electrified at [[25 kV AC]])
*''[[Metre-gauge railway|Metric gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|1000mm}}): 1,207&nbsp;km (400&nbsp;km electrified at 1.5 kV DC)
*''[[narrow gauge railways|Narrow gauge]]'' ({{RailGauge|914mm}}): 28&nbsp;km (all electrified)

Most railways are operated by [[Renfe]]; some [[narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] lines are operated by other carriers in individual [[autonomous communities]] and high-speed standard gauge lines are also operated by Ouigo and Iryo. It is proposed to build or convert more [[standard gauge]] lines, including some dual gauging of [[iberian gauge|broad gauge]] lines, especially where these lines link to adjacent countries.

A high-speed rail line ([[Alta Velocidad Española|AVE]]) between [[Madrid]] and [[Seville]] was completed in 1992. In 2003, high-speed service was inaugurated on a new line from [[Madrid]] to [[Lleida]] and extended to [[Barcelona]] in 2008. The same year, lines from [[Madrid]] to [[Valladolid]] and from [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] to [[Málaga]] were inaugurated. In 2010, AVE line [[Madrid]]-[[Cuenca, Spain|Cuenca]]-[[Valencia]] was inaugurated.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosenthal|first1=Elisabeth|title=High-Speed Rail Gains Traction in Spain|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/science/earth/16train.html|access-date=24 December 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The advent of high-speed trains in Spain|url=http://www.adifaltavelocidad.es/en_US/infraestructuras/lineas_de_alta_velocidad/madrid_sevilla/historia_madrid-sevilla.shtml|website=Adif Alta Velocidad|access-date=24 December 2017}}</ref>

===Cities with metro/light rail systems===
{{See also|Trams in Europe}}

[[Image:Madrid - Estación Concha Espina - 20060910.jpg|thumb|right|Madrid Metro]]
[[Image:Ferrocarril_urbano_en_España.svg|thumb|right|Metro (red) and tram (green) systems in Spain.]]
* [[Alicante]] - [[Alicante Tram]]
* [[Barcelona]] - [[Barcelona Metro]] and [[Trams in Barcelona|Tram]]
* [[Bilbao]] - [[Bilbao metro]] and [[Bilbao tram]] ([[Euskotren Tranbia]])
*[[Castellón de la Plana|Castellon]] - ''[[Trolleybuses in Castellón de la Plana|Trolleybus]]''
* [[A Coruña]] - ''under construction''
* [[Granada]] - [[Granada Metro]]
* [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]] - [[Jaén Tram]] - ''completed but not operated''
* [[León, Spain|León]] - [[León tram]] - ''completed but not operated''
* [[Madrid]] - [[Madrid Metro]]
* [[Málaga]] - [[Málaga Metro]]
* [[Murcia]] - [[Murcia tram]]
* [[Palma, Majorca|Palma]] - [[Palma Metro]]
* [[Parla]] - [[Parla Tram]]
* [[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]] - [[Tenerife Tram]]
* [[Seville]] - [[Seville Metro]] and [[MetroCentro (Seville)|MetroCentro]]
* [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]] - [[Metrovalencia]]
* [[Vélez-Málaga]] - [[Vélez-Málaga Tram]] - ''ceased operations''
* [[Vitoria-Gasteiz]] - [[Vitoria-Gasteiz tram]] ([[Euskotren Tranbia]])
* [[Zaragoza]] - [[Zaragoza tram|Zaragoza Tram]]

=== Railway links with adjacent countries ===

* {{flagicon|Andorra}} [[Transport in Andorra|Andorra]] – no (Andorra has no railways)
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Transportation in France|France]] – yes – [[break-of-gauge]] ({{RailGauge|1668mm}})/({{RailGauge|1000mm}})/({{RailGauge|1435mm}}) (new high-speed line without any break-of-gauge)
* {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Transportation in Portugal|Portugal]] – yes, same gauge
* {{flagicon|Morocco}} [[Transport in Morocco|Morocco]] – no – proposed undersea tunnel. [[break-of-gauge]] ({{RailGauge|1668mm}})/({{RailGauge|1435mm}})
* {{flagicon|Gibraltar}} [[Transport in Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] – no (Gibraltar has no railways)

==== Tunnel across the Strait of Gibraltar ====
{{Main|Gibraltar Tunnel}}
[[File:0035-Sóller_Marktplatz.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Historical [[tram]].]]

In December 2003, Morocco and Spain agreed to explore the construction of an undersea rail tunnel across the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], to connect their rail systems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3317149.stm|title=Europe-Africa rail tunnel agreed|date=14 December 2003|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

=== High-speed rail ===
{{Main|AVE}}
[[AVE|Alta Velocidad Española]] (AVE) is a [[high-speed rail]] service in Spain operated by [[Renfe]], the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to 330&nbsp;km/h (205&nbsp;mph). The name is literally translated from Spanish "Alta Velocidad Española" (Spanish High Speed), but its initials are also a play on the word ''ave'', meaning "bird". {{As of|2024|July}}, the Spanish high-speed rail network is the longest HSR network in Europe with {{convert|3,966|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name="ADIF">{{cite web|url=https://www.adifaltavelocidad.es/red-ferroviaria/red-de-alta-velocidad|title=''Red de Alta Velocidad''|publisher=ADIF |access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref> and the [[List of high-speed railway lines|second longest in the world]], after China's.

AVE trains run on a network of dedicated high-speed rail track owned and managed by [[Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias|Adif]]. The first line was opened in 1992, connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba, and Seville. Unlike the rest of the Spanish broad-gauge network, the AVE uses standard gauge tracks, permitting direct connections outside Spain. Some TGV-derived trains do run on the broad-gauge network at slower speeds, and these are branded separately as Euromed.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

On the line from Madrid to Seville, the service guarantees arrival within five minutes of the advertised time, and offers a full refund if the train is delayed further, although only 0.16% of trains have been so. In this regard, the punctuality of the AVE is exceptional compared to other non-long-distance Renfe services. On other AVE lines, this punctuality promise is more lax (15 minutes on the Barcelona line). A possible reason for this is that AVE services slow down to 200&nbsp;km/h for the Sierra Morena section of the journey because of the tight curves and 250&nbsp;km/h for the Córdoba-Seville section, possibly on account of medium-speed services running on the line, meaning that they have an easy means of recovering lost time if held up earlier in the journey.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 2020, access to the Spanish high-speed network was liberalised, and the AVE has since been joined by private competitors [[Ouigo España]] and [[Iryo]].

The AVE connects the following cities:

* Madrid – Valencia
* Barcelona – Madrid
* Seville – Madrid
* Ciudad Real – Madrid
* Tarragona – Madrid
* Valladolid – Madrid
* Madrid – Toledo
* Madrid – Cordoba
* Madrid – Murcia
Since the high-speed route between Barcelona to Madrid was launched in 2008, 75% of travelers now choose the train over the airplane, with flight passengers accounting for 25% of travelers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-20 |title=Train three times as popular as plane in Barcelona-Madrid route as high-speed rail turns 15 |url=https://www.catalannews.com/business/item/train-three-times-as-popular-as-plane-in-barcelona-madrid-route-as-high-speed-rail-turns-15 |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=www.catalannews.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Road system==
{{Main|Highways in Spain}}

[[File:Red alta capacidad españa.svg|thumb|400x400px|Highway network in Spain. The caption reads «Autovía and autopista network - Tolled autopistas - State autopistas and autovías - Autonomic tolled autopistas - Autonomic autopistas and autovías - Insular autovías and autopistas»]]

[[Image:Autovia de la Meseta.jpg|thumb|right|A-67. '''Autovía de la Meseta''' (''the Meseta Freeway'') in [[Cantabria]].]]
[[File:Matrícula automovilística España 2000 7137 CHW.jpg|thumb|left|The current [[Vehicle registration plates of Spain|vehicle registration plate]] design.]]

* ''Total:'' 681,298&nbsp;km (2008)
:* ''Expressways:'' 17,228&nbsp;km (2018)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Catálogo y evolución de la red de carreteras &#124; Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana|trans-title=Catalogue and evolution of the road network|url=https://www.mitma.gob.es/carreteras/catalogo-y-evolucion-de-la-red-de-carreteras|access-date=27 April 2021|website=www.mitma.gob.es|language=es}}</ref>

[[Highways in Spain]] are divided into "autopista"s and "[[autovía]]"s, the former being [[controlled-access highway]]s. As of 2019, Spain had 12,255&nbsp;km of roads designated as part of the European comprehensive [[Trans-European Transport Network|TEN-T network]], of which 10,932&nbsp;km are motorways. Bridges accounted for 220&nbsp;km (2.1%) of this network and tunnels for a further 86&nbsp;km (0.8%).<ref>{{cite web |title=CEDR TR 2020/01: Trans-European Road Network, TEN-T (Roads): 2019 Performance Report |url=https://www.cedr.eu/docs/view/6063289f6eb55-en |website=www.CEDR.eu |publisher=Conference of European Directors of Roads |access-date=4 December 2021 |language=english |date=2020}}</ref>

===Road safe system===

For traffic safety per population, Spain in 4th out of 27 in 2020.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web | url=https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/d2e7b66b-1cfd-422a-a36c-b2be1cff49e5_en?filename=erso-country-overview-2023-spain_0.pdf | title=European Road Safety Observatory - National Road Safety Profile - Spain | website=road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu}}</ref> 
There were 32 deaths per million inhabitants in Spain while there were 45 deaths per million in neighbouring France.<ref>{{cite web | title=Spain launches major new national road safety strategy | date=3 July 2022 | url=https://etsc.eu/spain-launches-major-new-national-road-safety-strategy/ }}</ref>
For traffic safety per registered vehicle, Spain in 3rd out of 23 in 2020.<ref name="auto"/>

For the risk of death car occupants are the bigger group of vehicle victims (639 or 38%) but for the risk of serious injuries motorbike is the biggest group of victims (2979 or 37%) in 2020.<ref name="auto"/>

==Waterways==
There are 1,045&nbsp;km of [[waterway]]s{{cn|date=August 2023}}, but they have minor economic importance.

==Pipelines==
*Gas: 7,962&nbsp;km
*Oil: 622&nbsp;km;
*Refined products: 3,447&nbsp;km (2006)

==Ports and harbors==
{{Main|List of ports in Spain}}
[[File:004_2015_06_02_Fahrzeuge_Personenverkehr.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cruise ships in the port of Palma.]]
The most important ports and harbours are [[Algeciras]], [[Barcelona]], [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]], [[Port of Bilbao|Bilbao]] and [[Port of Las Palmas|Las Palmas]]. Other major ports and harbours include [[Alicante]], [[Almería]], [[Cádiz]], [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]], [[A Coruña]], [[Ceuta]], [[Huelva]], [[Málaga]], [[Melilla]], [[Gijón]], [[Palma de Mallorca]], [[Sagunto]], [[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]], [[Los Cristianos]] ([[Tenerife]]), [[Santander, Spain|Santander]], [[Tarragona]], [[Vigo]], [[Motril]], [[Seville]], [[Castellón de la Plana]], [[Pasaia]], [[Avilés]], and [[Ferrol, Spain|Ferrol]].

==Merchant marine==
[[File:MMM_Aérea_Puerto_de_Algeciras.jpg|thumb|right|250px|MMM Aerial Port of Algeciras]]
[[File:Barcelona-port.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Barcelona, Port Vell.]]
* ''Total'': 169 ships (1000 GT or over) 1,902,839 GT/{{DWT|1,874,161|metric|disp=long}} 
* ''Ships by type'' (2006): 
:*Bulk carrier: 9
:*Cargo: 13
:*Chemical tanker: 14
:*Container: 27
:*Liquefied gas: 9
:*Passenger: 1
:*Passenger/cargo: 49
:*Petroleum tanker: 15
:*Refrigerated cargo: 5
:*Roll on/roll off: 20
:*Specialized tanker: 2
:*Vehicle carrier: 5

==Air transport==
Domestic air transport is in fierce competition with the [[AVE]]. For example, the Madrid-Barcelona route was Europe's busiest air route prior to the opening of a high speed rail line in this corridor. Air traffic is also the main mode of transport linking the [[Balearic Islands|Balearic]] and [[Canary Islands]] to the mainland.

=== Airports – with paved runways ===
{{Main|List of airports in Spain}}
*''Total'': 96 (2006 est.)
:*10,000&nbsp;ft (3,048 m) and over: 16
:*8,000 to 9,999&nbsp;ft (2,438 to 3,047 m): 10
:*5,000 to 7,999&nbsp;ft (1,524 to 2,437 m): 20
:*3,000 to 4,999&nbsp;ft (914 to 1,523 m): 24
:*under 3,000&nbsp;ft (914 m): 26

Main airports are [[Madrid-Barajas Airport|Madrid]], [[Barcelona Airport|Barcelona]], [[Palma de Mallorca Airport|Palma de Mallorca]], [[Málaga Airport|Málaga]], [[Gran Canaria Airport|Gran Canaria]], [[Alicante Airport|Alicante]], and [[Tenerife South Airport|Tenerife South]].

[[Image:iberia.a321-200.ec-jgs.arp.jpg|thumb|right|An [[Airbus A321]] of Spanish airline [[Iberia Airlines|Iberia]]]]

=== Airports – with unpaved runways ===
*''Total'': 61 (2006 est.)
:*5,000 to 7,999&nbsp;ft (1,524 to 2,437 m): 2
:*3,000 to 4,999&nbsp;ft (914 to 1,523 m): 15
:*under 3,000&nbsp;ft (914 m): 44

=== Airlines based in Spain ===
*[[Iberia Airlines]]
*[[Air Europa]]
*[[Wamos Air]]
*[[Vueling Airlines]]
*[[Binter Canarias]]
*[[Pyrenair]]
*[[Islas Airways]]
*[[Easyjet]]

=== Heliports ===
In 2009, there were 298 [[heliport]]s. {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

==See also==
* [[Plug-in electric vehicles in Spain]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Spain topics}}
{{Transportation in Europe}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Spain}}
[[Category:Transport in Spain| ]]