Page 71 - Vía Libre Special - 25 Years of Spanish High Speed Rail

Ferrovial Servicios
For the last four years Ferrovial Servicios has been
the company responsible for providing services
on board the AVE. Their duties include onboard
customer care, transport logistics and supplies
and, most importantly, the catering service. For
this latter service it works alongside Serunion, a
company specializing in collective catering which
provides 470,000 meals a day for nearly 3,000
centres throughout Spain.
In addition to hospitality for Preferente
class passenger on trains with at-seat catering, In the Preferente class of the hundreds of AVE trains
Ferrovial Servicios also runs the cafeterias and that travel over Spain, between 5,000 and 9,000
trolley bars on other Renfe trains. meals are served.

centigrade. Before it is dispatched for delivery this
temperature is checked.
From San Fernando de Henares, for example,
in the course of the day between four and five
deliveries of thousands of trays are made to Atocha.
The same trucks return with the used trays which
then undergo a strict sorting process by type of
waste. Reusable items are cleaned.

Service at stations and on board

At the Atocha, Sants and Francia stations
Ferrovial staff take over from Serunion to distribute
the meals for the onboard service on all the day’s
AVEs. The work is done according to a sequence of
operations established by Renfe.
When the food arrives at these stations
another check is made to ensure that the temperature
and halal and kosher meals, and meals for people has not risen above 4 degrees centigrade due to the
observing Lent. Only in the case of halal meals (food weather or some problem with the delivery truck.
permissible under traditional islamic law) and kosher The trolleys where the trays are stored are kept in
meals (food that may be consumed under Jewish temperature-controlled chambers, and each trolley is
religious dietary laws), does Serunion use external assigned a train number according to the information
suppliers (one for each type) who can guarantee on passenger numbers per train provided by Renfe.
that the meals meet the dietary requirements of As departure time draws nearer and while each train
these religions. in the case of kosher meals, which is sitting at the platform getting ready to depart,
must follow very strict rules regarding the type of Ferrovial loads the trolleys into refrigerated trailers
food that can be eaten, Serunion buys from the and takes them to each AVE.
same French kosher food supplier which supplies the Early in the morning, for example, all this loading
international aviation industry. process coincides with the onboard organization of
what will be the first service of the day, breakfast.
Time for delivery The ovens are heated, coffee is prepared, pastries
are organized, etc. After breakfast will come brunch,
At Serunion’s two kitchens the pace is frenetic then lunch, tea and dinner; five meals or snacks to be
to meet the requirements of the AVEs leaving the served together with beverages, spirits, pastries, and
various stations at all hours of the day. The meals coffees, not to mention wet-wipes, newspapers, and years of Spanish high speed rail
are prepared and distributed ready to serve. The food some great views! Five moments to enjoy when you
is kept at a controlled temperature, below 4 degrees travel by AVE. Every day better… 25 years on. M.C.

Vía Libre • Special 25th Anniversary of the AVE Edition 71