Talgo AVRIL

Talgo Avril is a push-pull high-speed train made by Talgo. It stands for "Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero" (roughly translated as "Light High-Speed Independent Wheel").[2] The trains are designated as Class 106 by Renfe, Spain's national railway operator.

Design

The train is intended to have a designed service speed of 330 km/h[3] and a maximum speed of 380 km/h.[2] It has front and rear power cars containing under-floor/over-roof equipment and 12 trailer cars in between the power cars, giving a total seating capacity comparable to those of an electric multiple unit rather than a locomotive-hauled train.[2] The trailer cars have a length of 13 m.[2]

Other details:[4] The final trains differ significantly from the prototype in design, without the characteristic duck-bill appearance. Initially planned to use ABB traction equipment, Talgo later opted for traction converters from Ingeteam and traction motors from TSA.[5] Renfe's trains each have 11 toilets, 2 wheelchair spaces and display screens behind seats.[6]

• The train is 3.2 m wide, allowing for a standard 3+2 seating arrangement
• Versions for fixed gauge (1,435 mm, 1,520 mm or 1,668 mm) and variable gauge are planned.
• The traction system is compatible with four voltages—25 kV 50 Hz, 15 kV 16.7 Hz, 3 kV DC, 1.5 kV DC.

History

Talgo presented the Avril concept at the InnoTrans fair in Berlin in September 2010.[7] The prototype, named G3, was approved in Spain on 13 May 2016, traveling more than 76,000 kilometers, and up to 363 km/h.[8]

After several years of development and testing, the first order for Avril trains was placed in November 2016, when Spanish operator Renfe Operadora signed a €786.5 million contract for 15 standard-gauge train sets and 30 years of maintenance.[9] In May 2017, Renfe Operadora ordered another 15 variable gauge train sets for €495 million, with the Avril's entry into service expected in 2021,[10] which was later delayed to March 2024.[11] Renfe sought €116 million in compensation from Talgo for the delays in delivery, later seeking an additional €50 million and €80,000 per day of delay beyond 1 April 2024.[12]

A Talgo Avril train reached 360 km/h top-speed on the Ourense-Santiago de Compostela high-speed line on Iberian gauge as part of homologation testing.[13]

In October 2019, Adif, the Spanish railway infrastructure manager, ordered a single variable gauge trainset for €39 million, designed to serve as a diagnostics train.[14]

In 2023, French operator Le Train signed a €300 million contract for 10 train sets and 30 years of maintenance.[15]

From 21 May 2024, Renfe schedules new AVE services to the Spanish regions of Asturias and Galicia, operated by variable gauge Talgo Avril trains. Those AVE services are replacing the previously Alvia services Madrid Chamartín-Gijón and Castellón de la Plana/Vinaros-Gijón via Oviedo in Asturias and the Alvia services Madrid-A Coruña and Madrid-Vigo via Santiago de Compostela, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Pontevedra in Galicia.[16] In addition Talgo Avril will replace S-112 trains for the Avlo Madrid–Barcelona, Madrid–Valencia, Madrid–Alicante and Murcia–Madrid–Valladolid services.[17]

Gallery

See also

• List of high speed trains
• Talgo