Madrid, Zaragoza and Alicante railway

The Madrid, Zaragoza and Alicante railway (MZA) - also known in Spanish as Compañía de los ferrocarriles de Madrid a Zaragoza y a Alicante - was a Spanish railway company founded in 1856 that became one of the most important companies in the railway sector, along with its great rival, the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de España (known simply as "Norte".) The rivalry between MZA and Norte stemmed from competing financial families at the time, namely the Rothschilds and Pereires. MZA rapidly expanded its railway concessions to encompass key routes in Extremadura, New Castile, Andalusia, and Levante, thereby gaining control of a significant market.

Source: Wikipedia — Madrid, Zaragoza and Alicante railway (CC BY-SA 4.0)