Renfe awards high-speed train contract to Talgo
Posted: 28 November 2016 | | 2 comments
Spain’s national train operator Renfe has awarded a contract to supply and maintain up to 30 hi-speed trains to Talgo.
Spain’s national train operator Renfe has awarded a contract to supply and maintain up to 30 hi-speed trains to Talgo.
Credit: Renfe
November 2016, Spain’s development minister Mr Iñigo de la Serna announced that rolling stock manufacturer Talgo had been awarded a contract to supply and maintain up to 30 high-speed trains to Renfe. The minister confirmed that Talgo’s bid was 28 percent below initial offers. Tenders were also received from Alstom, Bombardier, CAF and Siemens.
Talgo presented “the best offer from both the technical and economic point of view,” said Mr Iñigo de la Serna.
The contract, worth €786 million, includes delivery of 15 Avril trains and a maintenance agreement for a period of 30 years. Furthermore, there is also the option for 15 additional trains plus a 10 year maintenance extension. Together, the total order is valued at €1.4 billion.
Credit: Renfe
The 330km/h trainsets will seat 521 passengers – 416 of which will be Economy Class and 105 in business class. Seating will be arranged in rows of 2 + 2 in business class and 3 + 2 in economy. All seats are adjustable in direction of travel and feature LED screens. Furthermore, on-board luggage space has increased to include under seat storage.
Credit: Renfe
Has anyone other than Spanish officials carefully compared the proposals of each bidder? The rather large difference between bid prices raises many questions about the relative quality and reliability of each bidders’ equipment.
Whatever the result of any such comparison, it would be greatly appreciated if some functioning U.S. entity would emulate European nations’ grasp of the value of high quality intercity rail passenger service!
FANTÁSTICO….