Spain and Portugal adopted initially a system of rails that are focused on security (both for customers and national security). Spain railways were built wider

Spain and Portugal adopted initially a system of rails that are focused on security (both for customers and national security). Spain railways were built wider than the European standard; while other countries ignored the advice to focus in economy. Iberian gauge allows trains to run faster without losing stability. The more narrow the railway, the cheaper to build, but the less stable for trains crossing hairpin bends for example at a decent velocity. The climate is also very different, so is not really fair to compare both, but Europe saved a lot of money when building their first railways (and have more problems with ice and snow now for this reason)