EU watchdog calls Spain’s high-speed network “ineffective” SOURCE: Catalan News

Despite the cost, the report says that Europe’s high-speed rail network remains “ineffective” and slow. In fact, the study finds that only half of the trains actually run at their maximum speed, while in most cases they do not carry enough passengers to make them profitable. In Spain, for example, the stretch of the network between Madrid and León runs at 39% of its potential speed, while for the section between Figueres and Perpignan the number is 36%.