That most treasured hang-over from British Rail days, the “silent carriage” has finally arrived to Spains most treasured transport institution – the AVE (high speed train network) will start having shaduppaurface carriages.
Mobile phones will be prohibited inside these temples to silence, lights will be dimmed and the official announcements turned down to a whisper.
The price will be the same as for the noisy carriage, but buyers of this ticket will be warned of the conditions and expected to adhere to the rules.
The service starts in June and will be rolled out across the AVE network.
Other changes coming at the same time are free WiFi on board and a free luggage porter service.
A new type of AVE unlimited use ticket is also being introduced, which allows unlimited use of the AVE for a certain length of time across the whole network. It’s more for travellers than commuters.