Page 58 - Vía Libre Special - 25 Years of Spanish High Speed Rail

SPECIAL

years of Spanish high speed rail

s103 s104

s112 s114
requirements imposed by GIF (the public entity
responsible for building and operating the lines) for Alstom
trains running on the Madrid-Barcelona line. The
tender called for a maximum speed of between 300 series 104 and 114
and 350 km/h and there was talk of a reference speed
of 320 km/h. Contracts for the supply of these trains
were awarded in March 2001.
Sixteen trains were to be supplied by the In 1992 Renfe saw the opportunity provided by
consortium formed by Talgo and ADtranz (later the new line from Madrid to Seville to offer a
acquired by Bombardier), which would become high quality medium distance service to Ciudad
Renfe’s Series 102. A contract for the supply of Real and Puertollano, especially since the AVE line
another 16 trains went to Siemens. These would would have surplus capacity.
become Series 103 trains. So in October 1992 the Lanzadera (shuttle)
Series 102, which corresponds to “Talgo 350” service was launched, using AVE Series 100 trains,
type trains, together with Series 112 trains, which are the same as were being used for the long distance
basically identical save for some changes to interior service between Madrid and Seville. Those were
details, are the most common type of high speed the only trains available in UIC gauge and consti-
trains in Spain, with a total of 46 units. tuted an oversized stock for the demand for the
Series 103 trains (Velaro trains based on the line.
ICE 3) are capable of 350 km/h, the design speed of In 1997 a round of negotiations was ini-
the new Spanish high speed lines. They are able to tiated with the rolling stock manufacturers. The
cover the distance from Madrid to Barcelona in less aim was to design a type of train that at the time
than two and a half hours. existed nowhere in the world, one better suited

58 Vía Libre • Special 25th Anniversary of the AVE Edition