Quote:
Originally Posted by acottawa
Super commuters being half to a third of customers seems implausible, what is your source for that? If that were the case you would expect to see large numbers of trains leaving at about 7 am and much lighter traffic during the day, and that is not what schedules look like. The first train from Cordova to Seville for example gets in after 9, even though Spanish work days start relatively early. On most routes the early morning trains are also the cheapest of the day, which again you would not expect if that train carried a third to a half of business.
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The stat I read wasn't Spain specific. But if I find it I'll post. It jived with my observation taking our train at 11 am (I wasn't going to book an early train on vacation). Most passengers weren't dressed like tourists with luggage. It was mostly business travelers. Which also lines up with HSR eating in to air travel. I assume most travel is either business (for a meeting) or commuters in the less traditional sense of 9-5, say a patent lawyer going to the patent office for an afternoon. Clearly somebody who can afford a more expensive ticket isn't going to be doing this everyday and probably has way more flexibility than a 9-5er. A good chunk of them also worked during that train ride. Connectivity was surprisingly good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acottawa
Spain also has some of the most subsidized trains in the world, with the government heavily subsidizing individual tickets and passes in recent years. As well, Spain is a major recipient of EU infrastructure funding. A Spanish financial model would not readily apply to Canada.
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And tolled highways. It's fantastic. Must be giving you a tick.
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