Spain axes AVE Toledo-Albacete/Cuenca route

Spain's state-controlled rail operator has been forced to axe one of its newest high speed train services after it emerged that the only nine passengers were using it each day.
The AVE route connecting the Castilla la Mancha capital Toledo with the cities of Albacete and Cuenca was inaugurated with much fanfare last December, one of the links that helped Spain overtake France as the country operating Europe's biggest high speed rail network.

rest of story at :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... train.html

only 23 minutes faster than the standard service , so probably not surprising few would pay the premuim . (assuming there is one ) .

Looking at a map, it does seem like a rather pointless service. Is it possible that it was essentially an equipment move that passengers were allowed on?

NE2 wrote:Looking at a map, it does seem like a rather pointless service. Is it possible that it was essentially an equipment move that passengers were allowed on?

If it were, then it'd still be running in revenue service. But why would there be equipment moves from Toledo to the outlying towns in question?

I combined both topics, sorry Amtrackowitz, Dutch was first with the posting.

Looks like that route's passengers now have to change trains in Madrid. I was relieved to discover that the HSR lines connecting Madrid, Cuenca, Valencia, and Albacete are still in service, AVE trains and all.

From that article,

The failed route, which costs 18,000 euros (£16,000) a day to operate, is one of a series of infrastructure "white elephants" that have sprung up in recent years across the Spanish landscape.

Castellon Airport, built at a cost of 150 million euros (£134 million) and inaugurated in March, has yet to receive its first scheduled flight. Mile upon mile of empty toll roads are running at a loss.

I don't know if that's a fair assessment, but I hope that HSR construction can continue there.

seems t ome , out of the airport , the toll road , and the HSR , the HSR is the most suceesful .
Travel in Spain is obviously centered on Madrid .

David Benton wrote:seems t ome , out of the airport , the toll road , and the HSR , the HSR is the most suceesful .
Travel in Spain is obviously centered on Madrid .

I don't enough about this route - Cuenca. I presume it wasn't actually on a modern track to HS standards but a train running off the main HS route. So, it isn't actually a high speed route abandoned.

The main routes in Spain are extremely popular and show what might well happen in California if they would actually get on and build a system. People don't love flying if there is an alternative.

I found what looks like an original source for that Telegraph article: Spain’s Building Spree Leaves Some Airports and Roads Begging to Be Used - NYTimes.com

Most of the article was about those roads and airports, but

Mr. Blanco also has pledged to keep on schedule certain projects that have turned into significant electoral pledges for the governing Socialists in some regions of Spain, like extending the high-speed rail network to the southeastern cities of Alicante, Murcia and Cartagena by 2014, as well as adding a link to the northwestern region of Galicia.

From November 2006: Driving in Spain - Don't be scared -- though the roads were much nicer than a decade ago, the toll roads were nearly empty.

Castellon Airport Latest News - Castellon Airport Guide

The new €150M Castellon Airport opened on 25th March 2011, but at the moment no airlines are operating from there and there are no flights on offer. It is now waiting for permits to allow planes to land with flights expected to start operating late summer 2011.

???

Murcia San Javier Airport (owned by the Spanish Airports Authority Aena) is about 320km to the south of Castellon and doubles as a military base. It has just opened a second runway and is predicting an 82% increase in passenger traffic over the summer months. But at just over 1500m in length it is more likely to be used by the military as it is a little too short to be used by aircraft flying to western and northern Europe.

There is also another airport being built in Corvera which is near to Murcia which is due to be completed next year. With its close proximity to Valencia Airport which has plenty of spare capacity and two more airports in the region will Castellon Airport ever get off the ground?

So the NYT is correct about the overbuilding of airports there.

Castellon's airport is about 33 km to the north of that town, while Valencia's is about 79 km south.

We've overbuilt airports here too. Anybody been to MidAmerica Airport?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmbK1cObmts