Talgo Avril reaches 363km/h on test run

A Talgo Avril train reached 363km/h on May 31 during a test run on the new 89km Venta de Baños – Burgos high-speed line, which has yet to open to traffic. 

The speed was reached as part of the commissioning process for the fleet of 30 trains, which Talgo is supplying to Spain’s national operator Renfe. The train is required to demonstrate that it can operate safely at 360km/h to provide a margin above its normal operating speed of 330km/h. 

The dual-gauge train will also have to exceed 30,000km of test running on both standard and 1668mm-gauge lines. Half of the fleet will be dual gauge to support operation on Spain’s conventional network.

Talgo is also seeking approval to operate 10 of the Avril trains in France.

Renfe awarded a €281.5m framework contract to Talgo on May 28 to manufacture up to 40 variable-gauge 330km/h power cars, with a firm order for 26 power cars worth €195.5m

Talgo has secured a contract from Renfe to manufacture 26 new variable gauge, 330 km/h commercial speed powerheads (locomotives) as the last step in transforming 13 conventional trains into very high-speed trains.

This makes it the first manufacturer in the world to give a second life to intercity trains by converting them into very high-speed trains.

The contract, worth 195.5m euros (238.56m USD), has the possibility of increasing the scope of manufacture up to 40 powerheads, worth a maximum of 281.5m euros (343.5m USD).

It follows on from an initial contract awarded by Renfe in February 2018 to upgrade 156 Talgo series 7-night service carriages ­– previously operated by Renfe under the commercial brand Trenhotel ­­– into 13 very high-speed trainsets.

The 26 locomotives will be used to provide traction to each of the 13 trains. They will be operated in single-pair formations for each train, placed at both ends of the passenger car formations. This will create uniform compositions that will be indistinguishable from the rest of Talgo’s high-speed trains.

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Talgo chooses Extremadura to present its innovative hydrogen propulsion system

• It will be the first prototype in Spain
• Hydrogen technology is an emission-free alternative for non-electrified lines, where diesel trains are now operating
• The system has been presented in Don Benido, Badajoz, within the framework of the SOI H2 Conference, on the possibilities that hydrogen technologies present in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (SoI)

Talgo has presented this Wednesday at Don Benito, in Badajoz, its hydrogen-based rail vehicle propulsion system, a green, innovative and efficient alternative to replace diesel engines. The project has been presented within the framework of the first Conference on Hydrogen as a Vector of Socioeconomic Development in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (SOI H2). The event, which was held both on site and virtually, was attended by Emilio Garcia, Director of Innovation at Talgo.

This system is configured as a modular solution that can be installed on all types of trains, but has been specifically designed for the Urban and Medium Distance Vittal platform, with which Talgo competes in various bidding processes in Spain and other countries.

The first track validation tests will be carried out on the Extremadura railway lines in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Hydrogen-powered trains

This innovative system uses hydrogen batteries that provide the energy for the train's electric motors. It is powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic or wind, which produce hydrogen that is stored and then used to power fuel cell-based propulsion systems, such as the one designed by Talgo.  The system is complemented by batteries that increase the speed of the train when it starts, taking advantage of the braking system to recharge it.

Unlike the extended battery systems in the automotive industry, hydrogen (H2) technology is the logical answer to the needs of heavy transport and, in particular, of those railway lines that do not have catenary electrification systems, and which today depend on trains powered by diesel engines. The hydrogen system designed by Talgo enables conventional network lines to be "electrified" without the need for costly and lengthy adaptation operations, and without the use of fossil fuels.

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Talgo innovation to set rail as the safest transport mode in face of the COVID19 pandemic.