Madrid

:This article is about the Spanish capital. For other entries, see Madrid (disambiguation).

Transportation

Air

Madrid is served by Barajas International Airport. Barajas serves as the main hub of recently privatized Iberia Airlines. It consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian peninsula from Europe and the rest of the world. Current passenger volumes range upwards of 40 million passengers per year, putting it in the top 20 busiest airports in the world. Given annual increases of 10%, a new fourth and fifth terminals are in the process of being constructed. It is expected to significantly reduce delays and double the capacity of the airport. Two additional runways have also being constructed and will soon be in operation, making Barajas a fully operational 4 runway airport.

Related Topics:
Barajas International Airport - Hub - Iberia Airlines - Top 20

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National Rail

Spain's public railway system, the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles (Renfe) operates the vast majority of Spain's railways. In Madrid, the main rail terminals are Atocha and Chamartín.

Related Topics:
Renfe - Atocha - Chamartín

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The crown jewel of Spain's next decade of infrastructure construction is the Spanish high speed rail network, Alta Velocidad Española AVE. Currently, an ambitious plan includes the construction of a 7000 km network, centered naturally on Madrid. The overall goal is to have all important provincial cities be no more than 4 hours away from Madrid, and no more than 6 hours away from Barcelona. Currently, AVE high-speed trains link Atocha station to Seville in the south and Lleida in the east (to be extended to Barcelona).

Related Topics:
AVE - Madrid - Barcelona - High-speed trains - Seville - Lleida

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Metro

Serving the city's population of some three million, the Madrid Metro is one of the most extensive and fastest-growing metro networks in the world. With the addition of a loop serving suburbs to Madrid's south-west "Metrosur", it is now the second largest metro system in Western Europe, second only to London's Underground. The province of Madrid is also served by an extensive commuter rail network called Cercanías.

Related Topics:
Madrid Metro - Metro - Western Europe - Underground - Commuter rail - Cercanías

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