France followed Japan with the introduction of the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) in 1981. The TGV quickly became the pride of French engineering, holding the world speed record for conventional trains at 574.8 km/h. Spain introduced the under the name AVE (Alta Velocidad Española). Spain’s network has become the largest in Europe, effectively uniting the geographically diverse regions of the country and revitalizing cities like Ciudad Real and Zaragoza. In Spain, the term Tren Bala is colloquially used to refer to these services, which have captured a massive market share from domestic airlines.
Japan is the spiritual home of the bullet train. The Shinkansen network connects major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka with a reputation for incredible punctuality. Tren Bala
No HSR system in the world (outside China and Japan) covers its full capital cost from fares. Spain's AVE requires €2 billion/year in state subsidies. Mexico's government correctly feared this but handled cancellation disastrously. France followed Japan with the introduction of the