His passage through the United States has been a failure

It began to glimpse since last April the ugly things were put on. Renfe’s adventure in the United States has ended. He does it without carrying out the great project they had and confirming millionaire losses even though no train ever shot.

The project. A high speed line 386 kilometers between Dallas and Houston. That was the great project that Renfe had in mind to enter the US market, a market that seemed perfect because it lacks high -speed roads among large cities.

Dallas and Houston are two of the cities that generate more money in the United States So in European eyes it seemed a round business. The intention was to launch a train that reached a maximum of 386 km/Hy joined both cities in less than an hour and a half with an intermediate stop.

A not so good idea. But although the business seems evident to European eyes, the thing is not so simple seen from the American perspective. To have, throughout the United States there is not a single high -speed line that connect large cities as we understand in Europe or Asia.

In fact, the highest speed is reached in a line in Florida (between Orlando and Miami) that, for just 32 kilometers, is traveling to a maximum of 201 km/h. Then, the speed falls again. And although there is various projects underwayUSA It is still a desert for high speed.

Bye. After more than a five years, the project has been completed, the operations of Renfe of America have completed, they point out in electionomista.es. The company had created a subsidiary in the country to take the reins of a project that, they assured, could generate 5.3 billion euros before 2042.

In Aprilhowever, it was already guessed what was going to be the end of Renfe’s American adventure. So be Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, confirmed with a statement that denied the help of 63.9 million dollars that was pending to surrender (it was already approved) because “the financing of this project is a waste of taxpayers’ funds and a distraction of the main mission of Amtrak to improve their existing deficient services.”

That help was key to continue advancing in the high -speed railway corridor project of Amtrak Texas that Renfe had entered fully into 2021.

More and more involvement. The origin of Renfe’s landing in the United States must be sought before. In 2018the company arrives as an advisor to carry out the project, imposing itself on other companies in the contest as a trainitalia.

The initial contract required Renfe’s involvement for 18 months and, subsequently, the works would begin. However, with the project at the dead point, In 2021 the conditions were extended Initials and Renfe open their subsidiary in the country to gain presence in it, positioning itself as a commercial exploiter of the line.

No more public money. However, the project still needed public money for construction, which did not finish please the country’s transport department. To support the withdrawal Of the more than 60 million public funds it was stressed that the project was born with an exclusively private vocation but threatened to assume the taxpayer an expense of up to 40,000 million dollars.

Now, Renfe has ended up folding its operations, reflecting in its 2024 accounts extraordinary losses of 4.5 million euros and a 100% deterioration on investments undertaken for more than a five years, they point out in electionomista.es.

Photo | Renfe and Aaron Burden

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