Renfe

Renfe is achieving 96% punctuality in its service. But not in Spain, but in Mecca

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While AVE customers in Spain are very familiar with the wave of service delays, especially during this last summerRenfe boasts in Saudi Arabia of figures that seem from another world: more than 96% punctuality and “anecdotal” cancellations in the high-speed service that operates between Mecca and Medina, according to the company. The truth is that the Haramain High-Speed ​​Railway numbers contrast with what we have here in Spain. The Saudi showcase of Renfe. The Spanish company leads the consortium that manages this pioneering high-speed train in Saudi Arabia, responsible for the complete operation: from driving to ticket sales. Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe, presented these data at the Saudi International Rail in Riyadh, where he assured that the project is “one of the most successful in the world.” The figures that Renfe displays outside the home. The Haramain connects Mecca and Medina over 453 kilometers, with stops at Jeddah and the international airport. According to Renfe, since its inauguration in October 2018, the service has transported 29.2 million passengers, with a year-on-year growth of 20%. In the last year, the operator claims to have achieved more than 96% punctuality, measured with a margin of up to five minutes late, and operated 70,000 consecutive services without a single cancellation. The litmus test of Ramadan. Just like show According to its figures, during the March 2025 campaign, the service mobilized 1.35 million pilgrims, 40% more than the previous year. 3,410 trips were made with up to 132 trains running on the same day. The average punctuality reached 98.5% in this case, says Renfe, without recording cancellations. These are figures that are hardly seen in the company’s Spanish reports. The contrast with Spain. Last summer four out of ten high-speed trains They arrived late in Spain. Between June and August, 6,554 long-distance and AVE trains suffered delays of more than 15 minutes, according to pointed out El Mundoaffecting 2.5 million passengers. However, only three out of every hundred were able to claim compensation after tightening reimbursement conditions that Renfe applied in July 2024. Now it takes an hour of delay to obtain 50% of the ticket, when before 15 minutes were enough. Minister Óscar Puente recognized in September that the system will continue to have incidents “for at least two more years.” What’s coming now. Renfe has reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia and its ambitious Vision 2030 plan, which includes new railway projects. Among them, a high-speed line between Riyadh and Qiddiya, whose tender could be launched in the first half of 2026. Cover image | Tim Adams In Xataka | Renfe has found a scapegoat for its problems on the Madrid-Barcelona line: Talgo and its AVRIL trains

The fight between Ouigo and Renfe goes far beyond the price war. The last battlefield: the workshops

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Beyond the corridors and the prices proposed by the different companies, the battle between Ouigo and Renfe seems to have no limits. Competitors in Spanish high speed are intensifying their crashes. The last: the use of workshops. But the last crash is by no means the only one. The workshops. The information is brought Chain Being. The media outlet claims to have had access to internal documents in which Renfe accuses Ouigo of carrying out maintenance operations that exceed the marked limits. From Chain Being They point out that Renfe understands that Ouigo is carrying out work that is not permitted in space. The Spanish company understands that the type of repairs carried out there are contrary to the signed agreements and current regulations. It must be taken into account that, for its maintenance operations, Ouigo uses Renfe workshops under a rental contract. However, the contract does not allow any type of activity to be carried out there. Heavy or light. That is, according to the media, the key. Renfe understands that Ouigo is carrying out heavy maintenance work at its facilities, which is not supposed to be allowed. According to the Railway Sector Law, Renfe is obliged to allow access to its facilities (even if it charges for it) so that other companies can carry out light maintenance such as cleaning the vehicles or minor repairs. Renfe assures that the Alstom-Ateinsa workers, whom Ouigo hires to carry out this maintenance, are carrying out heavy maintenance tasks such as replacing parts, fixing breakdowns or changing wiring, always depending on the medium. This contravenes the signed agreements since Renfe would not be obliged to provide said service in its facilities. But, yes, the problem is that the regulations do not clearly specify what is or is not “heavy maintenance.” The problem is that everything is a gray area. The Directive 2012/34/EU on the single railway space, all non-routine activities are classified as heavy maintenance. However the standard EN 15380-4:2021 understands that heavy maintenance will only be understood if parts of the train have to be dismantled. Viability. In Xataka We have contacted both companies but, so far, we have not received a response. What they point out in the radio is that Ouigo assures that denying them access to the workshops would imply that they would not be able to provide the service adequately and, therefore, their two-year viability plan would be at risk. Ouigo points out that they are only doing work on “greasing and controlling levels, leaks and temperatures in the pit”, in words that would be included in the documents. For Renfe this exceeds light maintenance but Ouigo defends that they are within the regulations. The alternative presented by Renfe, according to the documentation, is that Ouigo carries out these actions in its workshops but pays for them accordingly, hiring auxiliary services to be able to carry them out. Beyond the tracks. What is at stake between Ouigo and Renfe goes beyond the typical price war that we see on the roads and corridors. Both companies have clashed over the prices offered by each other but also over the access that Renfe has to the most central stationslike that of Atocha. And not only in Spain. Renfe has tried to return the move in France but has been complaining for some time that there land they are putting all possible suits on the wheels to prevent them from competing on French soil. On this occasion, the problem would lie in Renfe’s technical compliance to be able to operate on French roads. Photo | Ouigo and Renfe In Xataka | In the 19th century, Spain made the strange decision to build its roads in Iberian gauge. Now they are going to be a gift for Renfe in Galicia

Who will compensate Renfe for its investment in AVRIL trains that are breaking down?

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AVRIL trains are at risk of cracking. At least that is what happened in one of those that provided service on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed corridor, which has forced it to take all its trains out of circulation and cancel the AVLO service. But now, who pays the dishes Broken buggies? a fissure. It all began in July 2025. At least, the nightmare of what promised to be a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep began. At the end of the month and with the entire summer campaign ahead, Renfe suspended the sale of AVLO tickets between Madrid and Barcelona overnight. The reason soon became known: one of the trains had presented a fissure that forced him to stop full. Without being very clear about how to act, Renfe suspended the sale of these options low cost in the busiest corridor in Spain. Then he chose to make high speed… a slightly slower transportation, limiting maximum speed to avoid problems. Finally, ended up suspending the service completely. A setback. Preventively removing AVRIL trains from circulation in the Madrid-Barcelona corridor is a setback for Renfe since it will not compete with an option low cost in this space and leaves the way clear for Ouigo and Iryo. A space that, in fact, Ouigo had started to give way a few months ago. And although Renfe has room for maneuver because This line is the most expensive in Spain and the least sensitive to offers, the truth is that Renfe no longer competes on price in it. The setback comes, above all, because the results of Talgo’s S106 trains, known as AVRIL, are proving problematic. His arrival was already marked by the bad reviews and the turn of the year caused a widespread breakdown on the trains. Half a year later, when everything seemed forgotten, the trains break down (literally) on the Madrid-Barcelona route. Why are they important? When Renfe commissioned Talgo to produce 30 AVRIL trains, it did so thinking about its ability to lower prices. The trains allow access to a greater number of people and promised top speeds of 300 km/h, which they are not being able to take advantage of. But, above all, the batch of AVRIL trains is key because they are flexible. The trains can “jump” from the Iberian gauge to the international gauge. This allows Renfe to be the only one to be able to operate on the Galician high-speed corridor without having to transfer in Ourense. It is expected to be a differential advantage for competitors do not consider entry in said corridor when it opens to the rest of the competition. Who pays for this? Aware that poor performance of AVRIL trains is a setback for the company, Renfe has already started looking for trains in Germany. But, in addition, the relationship between Talgo and Renfe is not in the best moment. To begin with, because Renfe has already been claiming since last year more than 116 million euros compensation to Talgo for delays in the deliveries of its AVRIL trains. If it is confirmed that the problem with AVRIL trains is structural, new economic demands can be expected from Renfe. In Talgo, however, they defend themselves and assure that the real problem is in the infrastructure. In September they already pointed out Adif as the culprit of the cracks in its trains, alleging a “poor state of maintenance of the line (…) the horizontal leveling problems on that line and the vertical accelerations they cause on the rolling can, by repetition, cause the failure mode due to cracks in the bogie frame.” Adif has defended itself by ensuring that the line is correctly maintained and that it has all the necessary approvals so that the services are provided normally. Not happy with the answer, in The reason they explain that Talgo has already hired an external audit to determine what caused the crack in the four affected trains. Designated. What Talgo wants is obvious: to put the ball in Adif’s court. The company already had to reserve more than 100 million euros last year in their accounts to pay the compensation they owe to Renfe for delayed deliveries. Incurring more expenses because of a productive mistake can only damage your accounts further. On the other hand, Adif is the other big one. They explain in The reason that the main union of train drivers (Semaf) also points to the track management company as guilty due to insufficient maintenance. Criticisms that are not exclusive to this corridor since in Andalusia A lack of investment has also been pointed out worrying as the main cause of summer breakdowns. In that case, It was Ouigo who pointed out Adif as responsible for an incident that left more than 300 people completely stranded in the middle of the field for one night. Photo | Talgo In Xataka | Spain thought that Spain could manufacture the perfect trains for Spain. The reality: Spain is already looking for trains in Germany

Renfe already warns that AVE prices have hit the bottom

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The prices we have seen so far in high speed have been a mirage. At least that is what Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe, predicts, who in an interview with Chain Being has come to ensure that Ouigo and Iryo will end up leaving our country. Prices, costs and unprofitable high speed. More expensive. There are many headlines left by the interview that Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe, left in an interview with Chain Being. To begin with, because he has indicated that high speed prices will rise: “If our competitors raise prices, which is something they have begun to do, we will follow that trend, because we are competing with them in those corridors, and this is the scheme that we have given ourselves as a society” What Fernández Heredia is talking about is the rising prices that high-speed trains are experiencing. The matter has made headlines with the departure of the AVLO of the Madrid-Barcelona corridor that has caused an immediate increase in the price of trains. With a weaker Renfe when it comes to lowering prices, on average the price of the ticket is already above 80 euros and the cheapest one does not go below 50 euros. The service has been getting more expensive for some time but without AVLO, prices are even higher. public service. In his statements, the president of Renfe comes to say that they will do what their rivals do. If they lower prices they will fight with them but if they raise prices they will not resist to seek market share at a low price. What Renfe defends is that they have the obligation to provide service where it is not profitable. This shows them the way to raise prices in the corridors where they do have competition. “We have a pricing policy that does not seek profit or does not seek to have a distribution of dividends. Our distribution of dividends is to stop where the others do not stop or what is not High Speed, which is the Long Distance: Almería, Algeciras or Tolosa. We are a public company and we are here to compete with other companies, but we are also there to support the rest of the railway system. Our High Speed, of the only three operators there are, is the only one that is economically sustainable, but we also have to sustain those stops that other operators do not want to make and that could, but do not do them because they only seek profitability” That message is the same one that Óscar Puente sentMinister of Transport, a year ago when he complained that Renfe had to compete in the same market as Ouigo and Iryo but with the burden of having to go where the company loses money. Some losses that have also focused the debate in recent months. Private, but not much. This is what the president of Renfe maintains. For Fernández Heredia, Ouigo and Iryo “are public companies from other countries. I understand that they will have to give an explanation as to why they come to Spain to lose money, I don’t think they will come to that, because it would be very difficult to understand.” In this message sent to Chain Being the complaint is implicit (and the threat of denunciation) that The Government launched Ouigo at the time. It was then pointed out that this French company I was pushing the prices to gain market share knowing that it has its back covered by the French State. From Ouigo they have rejected this, ensuring that Your pricing strategy is the usual one among those who enter to play in a new market. Losing money. At the moment what we have is a war in which Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo are losing money. Without knowing whether prices will continue to rise, what is certain is that the three companies are spending tens of millions of euros. Specifically, almost 100 million euros in 2024. Of those hundred million euros lost, the majority belong to Ouigo, which according to the CNMC left 40.5 million. The figure is far from the 31.5 million euros that Iryo left, but Renfe also lost money, specifically 27 million. Of course, the CNMC also assures that, since competition was opened in high speed, consumers have saved about 500 million euros. Until when? Although prices rise little by little, what is certain is that competition has lowered the cost for the customerespecially in those corridors where the flow of movement is not as constant or dense as in Madrid-Barcelona. In the latter, in addition to the high demand, the departure of AVLO has confirmed that if the high speed competition low cost one of the three competitors leaves, the immediate result is that prices rise. So, yes, we have most likely hit a bottom in high-speed prices but they are more likely to rise more slowly the more competition there is. Photo | Alan Grant In Xataka | In the 19th century, Spain made the strange decision to build its roads in Iberian gauge. Now they are going to be a gift for Renfe in Galicia

In the nineteenth century, Spain made the strange decision to build its ways in Iberian width. Now they will be a gift for Renfe in Galicia

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Renfe can breathe calm. The company has a huge business in the Galician corridor. The volume of travelers Between Madrid and Galicia he has shot to the point that airlines are retreating. Time savings since high speed arrives is such that many are choosing to pass to the train due to pure comfort or time flexibility. The Galician corridor is part of the next package of liberalization of the roads, next to the trains with destination Asturias, Cantabria, Cádiz and Huelva. It will not be, at least, until 2028 when the competition is palpable on the tracks because Adif is not complying with the deadlines planned. But Madrid-Galicia has another peculiarity. It is very likely that in 2028 we will see competition on their ways. To find the reason we have to travel to the nineteenth century. The particular Spanish railroad Each new technology arrives with a good rosary of standards of all kinds. It has happened with electric cars and passed with electricity itself. Also with measurement standards or, as in this case, train tracks. The railroad had started in the early nineteenth century. Although the steam machine was already born in the 18th century, it was not until 1804 when Richard Trevithick built A prototype in which the concept applied to transport. The steam locomotive was born. That one of those huge irons with wheels will pull a kind of drawers and could move the goods faster than they had done seemed like a great idea. So great that it soon caught and in 1830 the first train line was opened with passengers. They were the famous 50 kilometers that separated Liverpool from Manchester whose first trip headed George Stephensonwho was the ideologist of the construction of those first route. Those first trains circulated through some roads of 1,422 millimeters, 4 feet and 8 inches. Shortly after, those same ways widen half inch until reaching the famous 1,435 mm. Then they did not know but they had just adopted the “international width”, which is mounted in most trains in the world. Those measures also served to establish Two categories: narrow path (below those 1,435 mm) and wide via (above). The good results of the first trains made the railroad make the leap to continental Europe and the United States. But, like everything in this life, there were those who thought the system could be improved and that it was worth trying. That person was Isambard Kingdom Brunelan excellent British engineer who would create the Great Railroad of the West, joining London with the southwest, western England and much of Wales. Brunel thought that the higher the width of roads, faster speed could reach a train because the greater the stability achieved. Thus, it extended the track width up to 2,140 mm. Then a war of standards began that ended up resolving the Commission of Railroad Widths in favor of Stenphenson and its width of 1,435 mm. It was 1845. In Spain, at that time, we were engaged in the same fight. Railroad yes, but … how? That doubt was the one that set fire in the middle of the 19th century. Observing the good results that were being achieved outside our borders, the Government began to receive requests for the granting of licenses that allowed them to exploit the roads. Aware that it was necessary to harmonize the matter, they consulted a commission of engineers led by Juan Subercase, number one in the Corps of Engineers, acting president of the Advisory Board and director of the School of Engineers since 1837. He was helped Calixto Santa Cruz, number one of his promotion of 1839, and José Subercase, who in addition to his son was also the number one in his promotion the following year, 1840. Together they drafted the report 17.10.1844, on the Madrid Railroad to Cádiz, which recommended to reject a concession to build a railroad from Madrid to Cádiz. This concession was requested by the French engineer Juqueau Galbrun, which was certainly ironic over the years. Explains J. Moreno Fernández in a document in which the whole story of that controversial decision tells that none of the mentioned engineers had left the country and known firsthand how the railroads were abroad. That, perhaps, was one of the reasons why it was omitted that France had opted for international road width. And it is that Subercase was a firm defender of a width of six feet Castilians. The 1,672 millimeters that would end up receiving the name of “Iberian Width”. The defense is that a higher track width forced to use more powerful locomotives. In those days they thought they could increase vaporization with a wider boiler and that this was essential to, in a mountainous country like Spain, to have sufficient power to move the train. They also defended that a higher track width allowed a more stable step per curve but the truth is that time showed that neither one thing nor the other were key. The international width has been versed enough to be used in mountainous areas and the largest boilers in the trains had the problem of increasing the weight so the gain was diluted. In the government they thought that Subarcase motivations They were correct and they didn’t care that in the neighboring country they bet on a narrower track width. To import, they did not care that our other neighbor, Portugal, also promoted their railroads with the international width. In 1844, it was finally decided that the Spanish measure of the six Spanish feet was the one that should be protagonist for its orographic peculiarities. However, that did not condition the government that gave the approval to two routes built on that international width that was quickly imposing. Portugal pressed to have a railway exit to France that Spain ignored. And that created an urban legend that remains until today First in a line between Barcelona and Mataró, projected from the beginning with that exceptional width for the Spaniards … Read more

Renfe withdrew the avlo-barcelona avlo forced. And now prices are in the clouds

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Prices have risen 40% in the Madrid-Barcelona corridor. It is the conclusion they arrive in Trainline, a company that looks for the best prices and schedules when we want to travel by train. The departure of the Avlo de Renfe trains is pressing the upward market and the average of the ticket is already above 70 euros. The exit. The news arrived at the end of August and is underway since September 8: Renfe only offers bird service Between Madrid and Barcelona. The company took out its Avril trains, which offers the service Low Cost of his classic high speed trips. The movement came after Renfe suffered various pressures related to Failures in those Talgo S106 that made the Avlo route in said corridor. This summer, one of those trains cracked and despite the company’s attempts by hide the problem and manage the crisis with a low profile, Finally ended up withdrawing them. Prices shoot. Since then, Trainline, which adds the prices of the operators so that the user finds the prices and schedules that suck him, ensures that the average price is now 40% more expensive than a year ago. They assure that now, The average ticket price To move between Madrid and Barcelona exceeds 80 euros. The data is motivated by the AVLO output and the use of variable prices that are adjusted based on the demand. With an operator Low Cost Less, these tickets are now absorbed by AVE and the starting price already increases. That explains, according to The avant -garde That the cheapest ticket is already at 50 euros and reach up to 150 euros on a Sunday afternoon. Expensive, but not so much. The Madrid-Barcelona corridor has long been experiencing a price increase. Although in the first Compasses ouigo and Iro, they lowered the train prices, it was expected that little by little they will rise over the months and years. More in a corridor that in the second four -month period of the year moved to 3,944,879 passengers and has a very high occupation rate, According to CNMC data. This agency publishes a report every three months with the performance of Spanish high -speed companies. The most recent refers to Q2 and does not collect, therefore, the current increases, but it does notice that the average price of the tickets had already been 63.14 euros, with a 15.3% increase over the same period last year. That increase was marked, without any doubt, by a generalized price increase between the low cost. Ouigo rose 18.7% and Iroo 22.5%. For his part, Avlo was the one that less took care of the three, with a rise of 14.5%. The same but more expensive. In the absence of knowing a more complete photograph (which will not come to the next year when the CNMC publishes the September data this year and the last quarter), what is clear is that Avlo’s departure has meant very bad news for the passenger. On average, Avlo tickets were the cheapest seconds on the market in the second quarter, with a price of 51.95 euros. The jump to the bird is important since the average of these tickets reaches 73.91 euros. But, in addition, the increase in prices will be substantial because Avlo moved 14.7% of all travelers who moved between Madrid and Barcelona. That means that almost 580,000 runner travelers have to get a place in some more saturated ouigo and Iro or, on the contrary, assume the cost of traveling in AVE. What can we expect? However, Pedro García, responsible for Trainline in Europe, says that “as a whole, it is still cheaper than before liberalization, although leaving customers without a low -cost option directly affects the price of tickets”, in words collected by The avant -garde. However, we must bear in mind that if the tickets have been more expensive in the corridor since Renfe faced competition, it is because the demand rewards it. The occupation rate in Madrid-Barcelona is so high that it justifies a slow but constant rise. And a good example of the good health that Renfe enjoys in the corridor is that Ouigo derived trains that he had in operation in Madrid-Barcelona to the Andalusian corridor because he believes that he can be more competitive there. This last corridor seems more sensitive to the price where the differences between AVE and the Low Cost They are narrower and the cost for travelers are settled. Photo | Xataka and Logan Armostrong In Xataka | Renfe has proposed to improve once and for all vicinity. And Madrid will take a pinch of 400 million euros

Renfe has proposed to improve once and for all vicinity. And Madrid will take a pinch of 400 million euros

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The vicinity service in Madrid is having a performance, according to Renfe, of “positive” but it is very likely that if you ask travelers who take this service daily give you a different answer. To launch this assessment, the company is based on the fact that the 85.3% of the services provided In the Community of Madrid they arrive on time. And to maintain this valuation, more than 400 million euros will be invested. Assiduous incidents. Despite what Renfe says, the truth is that the incidents in Madrid trains are usual. Although generalized incidents are lower and are a few minutes of waiting, it is not uncommon for situations such as last July in which All lines were affected either delays that are especially complicated Now that the city is full of works. In fact, criticisms have long been part of the Madrid political debate. The Government of Spain has taken advantage of subway delays repeatedly for CRiticate to local entities and These have returned the ball Remembering that the city suffers from nearbyver breakdowns, which are the competence of the government. A patch that exceeds 400 million euros. In two games that will break that figure. First, Renfe has tendered a contest for a new maintenance contract for interurban trains for the next three years. This contest has 61.5 million euros assigned in the case of Madrid (Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, Extremadura, Aragon and Castilla y León also have their own lots). But, in addition, the 2025-2030 Industrial Installations Plan has been launched, which is assigned a game of 350 million euros in the case of Madrid. That is, in total it is planned to spend about 411.5 million euros in the near Madrid. Trains maintenance. In The Spanish newspaper They point out that the game of 61.5 million euros is dedicated exclusively to the maintenance of 82 trains of the 465 series that will be reduced to the 60 vehicles. This maintenance will be carried out at the base of Madrid Atocha. This investment is part of the 485 million euros that this year has confirmed Renfe for the maintenance of this type of trains throughout Spain. In total, there are 430 trains (a fleet in which there are also medium distance trains) that will gradually be renewed because they are at the end of their useful life. In Madrid there will be 22 who should get out of circulation. The Industrial Facilities Plan 2025-2030. This project is focused on improving the maintenance capacity of the rail network, as well as adapting the rolling material and, above all, to improve operational efficiency so that trains find unforeseen lower. Those 350 million euros are part of A package of up to 1 billion euros that will be distributed throughout Spain. The new trains that are going to reach the fleet forces to renew the existing facilities and the material so they are going to create new maintenance bases (Aranjuez, Alcalá de Henares, Móstoles-El Soto and Vicálvaro in Madrid). The new trains. The reduction in the fleet of the 465 series of the trains that Renfe has available is included in A much greater game that the company is dedicating to improve and renew the fleet and facilities throughout Spain. The plan began in 2020 and has been receiving various backs. The new trains will be manufactured by Alstom, Stadler and CAF and some of them are already testing. The renewal of more than 400 trains comes after 15 years of drought in which Renfe has not bought any train to renew the fleet. Of course, it has been sold that the new vehicles will have more and better sensor -based systems to monitor the components more closely and advance the possible breakdowns, taking out the trains of the circulation for their maintenance before the failure occurs. Photo | Germán Poo-Caamaño In Xataka | Renfe is delighted to have competition in Madrid-Galicia. Especially since he knows that he will not have competition

Renfe is delighted to have competition in Madrid-Galicia. Especially since he knows that he will not have competition

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The Galician corridor is being the great revelation of high speed in what we have been. Although at the end of 2024 its potential was already suggested, the hug at high speed is being so high that, it has even had its consequences in a lower demand for plane tickets. Now, the government already paves the way for other companies to begin to exploit that market. Market that cannot be exploited. “High potential” Are the words with which the government summarizes the possibility that the Renfe Monopoly in Madrid-Galicia. Until now, only this company is operating in one of the most successful runners in our country. They explain in The voice of Galicia that Adif is finalizing the requirements that will be necessary to meet the operational approval. That is, with the green flag to operate in the Galician corridor that will be carried out through “multiannual framework agreements”, the same process that has allowed Iroyo and Ouigo to operate in the Spanish corridors who have already enabled the competition to Renfe. Second phase. The presentation of this regulatory framework enters into the New phase that opens in liberalization of the Spanish high speed roads. Next to the Galician corridor, the open door will also be left to Renfe find competition in the Asturias/Cantabria corridor (which connect with Madrid and share space with the Galician) and the Huelva/Cádiz. The process, they expect in the Government, will conclude at the end of 2026 and believe that it is of great interest to other companies since between 2019 and 2024, The train has already stolen 24% of passengers to the plane. From then on, the competition should arrive very soon. Ought. Yes, but. The problem for Renfe competitors is that the Galician corridor needs trains that can jump in track width. This is mandatory because between Madrid and Orense, trains use the international track width. But between Orense and Santiago, as well as the rest of the connections, such as Vigo, the Iberian width is used that It has different measures. This particularity forces to use the Talgo S106, those same as They cracked on their way to Barcelona. These trains have been sold as the perfect solution since they can change from one width to another but Talgo and CAF have all their production sold For the next few years. And companies like Ouigo find no one who can give them these particular trains. Solution 1. It is the one raised by the Popular Party that, according to The voice of Galicia, They are pressing the Government to adif the road and take, at least to Santiago, the international width beyond Ourense. This should help make the runner a more attractive place for new competitors. Adif, for the moment, discard this possibility. Solution 2. That in the absence of trains, the new competitors rent the rolling material to Renfe. It is something that It has dropped from ouigo and? It has been totally rejected from Renfe. Right now, this last company has a perfect business in Madrid-Galicia because the road will be liberalized but they have all the trains present already short term that can work in that section. What will happen? It remains to be seen if ouigo or any other competitor chooses to operate, at least, even Ourense. However, the attractiveness of this journey is much less because it stays at the gates of Galicia and does not enter to the heart. Nor is it an attractive option for all tourism attracted along the Camino de Santiago that could see on the train a very valid alternative to the plane to return to the capital. Especially now that Santiago airport has drastically reduced its operations with the Ryanair output. Photo | Xataka and Pablo Bretón In Xataka | In his most fateful summer, Renfe’s ambitious bet for the Avril trains has begun as one would expect: regular

Renfe has had a record summer of delays, and more than two million AVE travelers have run out of refund for changes

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Summer has been hard for rail transport in Spain. Four out of ten high speed trains They arrived late at their destinationbut only three out of 100 passengers were able to claim some kind of compensation, according to The world. The data comes after hardening Refund conditions of Renfe in 2024, the main reason why the figures contrast both with the data prior to the reform. Change of conditions. In July 2024, Renfe reformed Its ‘punctuality commitment’, multiplying the minimum delay time necessary to claim half of the ticket. If 15 minutes were enough to get 50% of the amount, now a full hour is needed. For total refund, the threshold went from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. The company justified this tightening as an “update” to continue being “the most advantageous for the traveler”, as the medium collects. Summer figures. As They point From the world, between June and August, 6,554 long -distance trains and AVE arrived with delays exceeding 15 minutes, affecting 2.5 million passengers. However, with the new rules, only 444,000 travelers were entitled to compensation. This means that more than 2 million users who would have received a refund with the previous criteria were left without it. This, according to the medium, would mean a saving of about 79 million euros only in these three months. Context. The reform is covered in the European Parliament Regulation of 2021, although at that time, Renfe offered much more generous compensations than the minimum required by European regulations. And while the EU forces to compensate with 25% of the ticket after 60 minutes late, the Spanish operator gave 50% with only 15 minutes. Now he has hardened his measures just when more delays are recorded. Problems that follow there. Minister Óscar Puente acknowledged in September that the rail system will continue to have incidents “at least two more years”, according to collect The world. The problems range from Fissures in Talgo S106 trains (which forced to withdraw the low cost services from AVLO on the Madrid-Barcelona route) up to infrastructure deficiencies caused by fireaccording to the medium. The alternative to service, the conventional bird, costs up to 34% more than the economic option eliminated. What comes now? Bridge has traveled to Germany To look for new trains in factories such as Siemens, recognizing that without renewing the fleet it will be impossible to improve the service, as collect The world. “We must not launch the bells on the fly, but if we do not renew the fleet, it is evident that we will not be able to improve in any case the service we are providing to the citizenship,” admits bridge. And in addition to having been a summer to forget in terms of ferroviar delays, it has also agreed that reimbursement conditions have also worsened. Cover image | Falk2 In Xataka | Renfe has a new and gigantic project in progress: a night train to connect Europe from this to west

Renfe trusted Talgo and his Avril trains to benefit from the particularities of Spain. Already look for solutions in Germany

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Spain is a particular country regarding the railway field. That is why the pair formed by Talgo and Renfe sounded especially good to compete with the new trains operators. Both companies could benefit and get a strategic advantage in the Galician corridor, while allowing him to fight in the rest of our country. The reality is that nothing has gone as expected. And now Spain looks for trains in Germany. “They have not given the best possible result”. This is how Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, has described the performance of the Talgo S-106 series that Renfe has had in operation. Words pick them up eldiario.eswho point out that Puente will go to a Siemens factory in Germany in search of solutions. The intention, everything indicates, is to reverse the bad results of the Spanish trains with an acquisition of Germans that allow Renfe to compete again on equal terms with Ouigo and Iroyo, who have found the open doors of high speed Low Cost In Madrid-Barcelona. “Corporate”. The bridge trip comes after Renfe will withdraw his Avlo trains from the Madrid-Barcelona corridor. The company’s official response is that AVE trains adapt better to a line in which a “corporate” client profile is better exploited. It is true that Half of the trips That Renfe was carrying out in this corridor made them with the AVE and that the Avlo market share was significantly lower than that of Ouigo and, above all, that of Iroyo. However, the real motive of its abandonment is that some Talgo trains of the S-106 series were being used. A crack. Metaphorical, if we talk about Renfe’s strategy. Material, if we talk about avlo trains. Those known as Avril, projected to compete with these two foreign companies in business volume, presented serious structural problems a few weeks ago. The company He took them out of circulation although at first He denied the problems. Finally, has taken out of circulation The Avlo service but there is no record of a trains relocation. That is, now ouigo and Iro will compete among them two for high speed at low price in that corridor. An oxygen ball for ouigo, which had retired some trains To show more battle in the Andalusian corridor. Recurring problems. As we pointed out, the bridge itself has already suggested that the operation of the aforementioned S-106 of Talgo has not been expected. The first ones that were launched in the Galician corridor and in the line with Asturias. In both cases they accumulated delays and breakdowns. Besides, Nor did they receive the best criticisms for its performance on the roads. Months later, the change of the year also affected the new cars of Talgo. A computer problem left them unused in the early hours of 2025causing important delays the first days. A few weeks ago the most serious fault occurred. Trains cracked (literally). The first solution was circular at a lower speed. The second, probably the most sensible, remove them from the line. Disappointing. The problem with Talgo’s S-106 series is even more disappointing if we take into account that it is a type of train that allows Renfe to Competitive advantage over Ouigo and Iro In the Galician corridor. Talgo is The only company that had built trains that could adapt to the different widths of our country. With compromised production, no one can buy more trains and, therefore, Renfe is in a monopolistic position in the short term. Therefore, perhaps, the disappointment is greater. Finally, trains that had to demonstrate the good Spanish doing in the railway sector have been working for Spanish roads and delays. But, above all, he has closed Renfe the doors of his great tool to compete against his rivals in a corridor where he dominates. Now, Spain will seek solutions in Germany. Photo | Nelso Silva and Siemens In Xataka | Cabinas instead of traveling as sardines: Nox’s key to convert the night train into the alternative to the plane

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