The logic with which transport infrastructure is laid out is not always consistent with the territorial structure and logic of the intermediate space it traverses. The debate is set out in the context of High Speed Rail (HSR). The article deals with the territorial changes in the last 25 years of an isolated territory with an acephalic structure of small cities that receives two HSR stations: the province of Ciudad Real in Spain. National statistics on labour mobility and migration are combined with two discretionary-trip surveys. The latter turn out to be a key element for understanding the development of these isolated territories, which represents an aspect that has not been dealt with in relevant literature. The article shows that HSR helps build territorial cohesion and increases connections with large, external metropolitan areas.