As someone affected by the construction problems into Barcelona, I am disappointed to see that the fruit of all the pain ordinary commuters have suffered, not to mention the cost of the new line, is so lacking in ambition: a high speed service of just one train per hour, plus stopping services, with a 2-hour gap in the afternoon.
With hundreds of flights a week between the two cities to compete with, you'd have thought Renfe might want to use its new line a bit more intensively? 'One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.' (Jane Austen). *David J*
However, while 971 flights vs. c. 120 trains would look indeed very assymmetric, all of those trains have a seat capacity close to a B-747.
Compare passenger numbers instead: all those planes carried 4 million, RENFE can expect c. 2.5 million Madrid-Barcelona travellers in the first year (at 50% seat utilisation) -- compared to c. 1.2 million in 2007. RENFE could take on the entire present air traffic with only a couple of train pairs added. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
