Renfe Invites Tenders For HS Trains - Alstom, Adtranz, and Talgo among companies intending to bid for contract to design and build new fleet - Brief Article

International Railway Journal, May, 2000

SPANISH National Railways (Renfe) has invited companies to register this month to compete for a contract to design, build, and maintain a fleet of between 26 and 40 high-speed trains for operation on the 651km high-speed line currently under construction between Madrid and Barcelona. The contract is likely to be worth about Pesetas 111 billion ($US 646 million).

Renfe plans to award the contract by the end of this year. The trains must be in service by 2003 although the Madrid-L[acute{e}]rida section of the new line is scheduled to open in 2002. The remaining section to Barcelona will open in 2004.

Alstom has already confirmed its intention to bid with an offer based on its new AGV (see page 15), as have Adtranz and Talgo which will be offering their new 350km/h high-speed train (see page 27). Siemens plans to offer a train based on ICE 3.

The tender is fairly open with relatively few technical specifications. The trains must be able to operate at between 300 and 350km/h in order to complete the Madrid--Barcelona trip in a maximum of 2h 30min. The trains must be equipped to operate under the ASFA, LZB, and ERTMS signalling and train control systems. They will be designed for 25kV ac operation and must be able to run on the Madrid--Seville high-speed line.

Renfe has stipulated more precise requirements for the interior of the new trains. In common with AVE, the trains will have three classes of accommodation: Club (10%), Preference (30%), and Tourist (60%). Club class will have saloon-style accommodation with a meeting compartment for up to eight passengers. Preference will have two-plus-one seating across the width of the coach and Tourist two-plus-two.

A cafeteria will be located between Preference and Tourist. There will also be a multi-media control centre nearby. Bidders will need to pay special attention to the needs of handicapped passengers, as well as to the incorporation of new-technology services.

The winner will be responsible for the maintenance of the fleet for about 14 years, and will have to make a commitment towards the punctuality of the services.

* GIF (the Spanish railway infrastructure authority) has awarded a Pesetas 1.3 billion contract to Patentes Talgo for two Talgo XXI dual-gauge 200km/h trains to be used for testing and dynamic analysis of the track on the Madrid-Barcelona--French border high-speed line. Each train will have a Talgo BT diesel power car, two intermediate coaches, and a driving trailer.