AVE

Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is a <a href="/facts/High-speed_rail_service/I1obpP6M">high-speed rail service</a> operated by <a href="/facts/Renfe/FVGl0EIF">Renfe</a>, the Spanish State railway company.
The first AVE service was inaugurated in 1992, with the introduction of the first Spanish high-speed railway connecting the cities of <a href="/facts/Madrid/B63nL2DB">Madrid</a>, <a href="/facts/C%C3%B3rdoba,_Andalusia/t4c3oIc0">Córdoba</a> and <a href="/facts/Seville/weWX4eIK">Seville</a>.
In addition to Renfe's use of the <a href="/facts/Administrador_de_Infraestructuras_Ferroviarias/RJXawF5e">Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias</a>-managed rail infrastructure in Spain, Renfe offers two AVE services partially in France, connecting respectively Barcelona-Lyon and Madrid-Marseille.
Alta Velocidad Española translates to "Spanish High Speed", but the initials are also a play on the word ave, meaning "bird". AVE trains operate at speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph).

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