Column in The Guardian about high speed rail in Spain https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/11/spains-high-speed-trains-arent-just-efficient-they-have-transformed-peoples-lives?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The penultimate paragraph is the crucial one - the network works if you’re going between cities. It doesn’t if you’re going to smaller places or don’t want to go via Madrid.