[zxspectrum1982]

This is true.

Also, high-speed trains are a lot (2x, 3x or more) more expensive than the traditional trains were, for a very small time savings (15-20%) in many cases, which means a lot of people cannot afford to travel by train anymore. So yes, high-speed trains transformed people's lives but not always in a positive manner.

[Symbiote]

Are the older train routes no longer running trains?

I'd expect them to have cheaper tickets between the same cities, if you don't care about the speed.

[unflxw]

In Spain, especially after the closures in the 80s [1], the traditional rail network, which was already chronically under-maintained, also became, with some exceptions, hopelessly disjointed. Many of the remaining operating routes can't meaningfully connect the territories they pass through with each other, only to Madrid.

As more and more of the main cities are brought into the high speed network, the traditional network is given less funding and less service, to the detriment of the smaller towns served by it. However, it is important to note that this trend was already underway before the high speed network was in place.

The remaining regional train between Barcelona and Madrid, for example, takes eight hours by the schedule (nine or ten in real life) while the high speed trains take three hours or less.

Occasionally, some services survive that use the high speed network for most of the trip, then switch to the traditional network for the last leg of the trip.

[1]: https://nitter.net/pablomarinas_/status/1361406780757200898

[zxspectrum1982]

Most of the non-high speed routes are gone indeed. There's 1 non-high speed per day, while there are 8-10 high-speed (which are a lot more expensive).

[ThePowerOfFuet]

They are; in France they are referred to as Intercités and Ouigo Classique.