Troubled economic times like the one the European nations are going through nowadays are characterised by the number of opportunities they offer, but also by the uncertainties ahead and the doubts about taking decisions now which could oblige in the long term.

Someone could think that we, the political representatives in charge of looking after the public interests by assessing the opportunity costs of each choice, would be tempted to follow the easy path on those crucial crossroads. But this is not the case.

Maybe Spain, with the socialist party at the head of successive governments, is the best example of how a mindful combination of courageous decisions on difficult times, the power of a cabinet lead by egalitarian principles and the supportive effort of the taxpayers, can lead a country to new heights of economical and social progress.

Our high speed rail network reaches now several edges of the Iberian Peninsula, and connects some of the most important cities of Spain with the most sustainable transport mode and in a fast, safe and clean way: Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Seville and Valencia at the end of 2010. Its next objectives will be Galicia, the north coast, Portugal and France.

The effort under way is so big that, by 2012, Spain’s HS network will be the longest one in service in Europe. And only eight years later, by 2020, another historic landmark will be achieved when more than 90% of the country’s total population will have a HS train station at less than 31 miles away.

Nevertheless, none of this would have been possible if Felipe Gonzalez’s government, back in 1989, hadn’t taken the first, crucial step by committing itself to build Spain’s first high speed line between Madrid and Seville. This decisive action was continued by the next governments, receiving a final push when José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero arrived at the Moncloa Palace and with the subsequent approval of the Strategic Plan for Transport Infrastructures, a master plan which draws almost all the steps to follow in the next years.

A cursory glance over the last 20 years could make somebody think that the path followed was an easy one, but this conclusion couldn’t be more wrong. Although PSOE’s support on high speed railways was clear, determined and firm since the very first moment, other sectors of society were not so keen –like the parliamentary opposition: Spanish conservatives even raised doubts and sowed distrust about a high speed system which finally yielded priceless benefits to the whole society.

’Boondoggle‘, ’Loss-making whim‘, ‘Monument to bad territorial planning’… Shielded behind overly simple, short sighted cost-benefit analysis, critics complained with those arguments against high speed projects over years, until the success of each one of the new corridors proved them wrong and showed that in troubled economic times, the best investments for a society are the ones which improve equality. Today, like we did over the last 20 years, we have to express our conviction in a brilliant future for high speed rail in Spain, with the extension of the network to each edge of the country, building a multi-node web in which each city is a centre. A network which draws territories together and grants equal opportunities to each citizen, no matter where he lives. A network which ties us strongly to Europe.

Now more than ever, we have to look towards the future and we shouldn’t slow down our pace, because each new high speed line carried out will be at the same time a retaining wall against the economic crisis and a lever to get the society ready for the incoming recovery.

The new opportunities which lie ahead are strongly linked with a new and sustainable development model, based mainly on technological innovations. And there’s no transport mode better prepared to achieve such a objective than the high speed railways. In Spain only, they avoid the emission of billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, contributing that way to an essential modal shift on the global fight against the climate change.

In the coming months, Fomento will continue to develop several HS corridors throughout Spain with the cooperation of Spanish companies, which in the last years have proved to be at the forefront of the civil engineering and railway transport markets.

At the end of December we will see the best proof of how big the effort we are currently doing is: Ministerio de Fomento will close the year with a total investment of 19bn euros, most of them on High Speed Rail corridors. We are committed to develop, as much as possible, a unique European railway market taking advantage of the Spanish presidency of the European council during the first half of the next year, and we will hold meetings like the World Transportation Infrastructures Congress in Valence, at the end of 2010, at the same time as the opening of the Madrid-Valencia High Speed Line.

In moments like nowadays, citizens don’t want us to take timid or wary decisions. They demand their representatives to choose those alternatives which pave the way for the future with the same courage as they face up their difficulties. They demand we use the public power with intelligence by developing systems like high speed railways, which could accelerate the recovery and reduce inequalities, and give as a result the best profit of all. The social profit.

This essay is taken from SERA’s pamphlet ‘Fast Forwards: Labour’s Case for High Speed Rail’ which will be launched on Sunday 27th September 2009 at 5.30pm in the Buckingham Room, in the Hilton Metropole Hotel. It will be available for download from Sunday from www.sera.org.uk