Talgo Avril is a push-pull high-speed train made by Talgo. It stands for "Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero" (roughly translated as "Light High-Speed Independent Wheel").

Design

The train is intended to have a top speed of or . It has front and rear power cars containing under-floor/over-roof equipment and 12 trailer cars in between the power cars, giving a total seating capacity comparable to those of an

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

rather than a

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

-hauled train. The trailer cars have an unusually short length of . Other details: *The train is wide, allowing for a standard 3+2 seating arrangement that gives a passenger capacity of up to 600. *Versions for fixed gauge (1,435 mm, 1,520 mm or 1,668 mm) and variable gauge are planned. *The traction system is compatible with four voltages—25 kV/50 Hz; 15 kV/16.7 Hz; 3 kV DC; 1.5 kV DC.

History

Talgo presented the Avril concept at the InnoTrans fair in Berlin in September 2010. After several years of development and testing, the first order for Avril trains was placed in November 2016, when Spanish operator

Renfe Operadora Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, Spanish National Railway Netwo ...

signed a €786.5 million contract for 15 train sets and 30 years of maintenance. In May 2017, Renfe Operadora ordered 15 more train sets, with the Avril's entry into service expected in 2020, delayed to March 2024. In 2023, French operator Le Train signed a €300 million contract for 10 train sets and 30 years of maintenance. From 21 May 2024, Renfe schedules new AVE services to the Spanish regions of

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

and Galicia, operated by variable gauge Talgo Avril trains under the class name S-106. Those AVE services are replacing the previously

Alvia Alvia is a High-speed rail, high-speed train service in Spain offered by Renfe Operadora on long-distance routes with a top speed of . The trains have the ability to use both Iberian gauge and standard gauge, which allows them to travel on the rece ...

services Madrid Chamartín- Gijón and

Castellón de la Plana Castellón de la Plana (in ), or simply Castellón (), is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. Th ...

/ Vinaros-Gijón via

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

in Asturias and the Alvia services Madrid-

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

and Madrid-

Vigo Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...

via

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

, Vilagarcía de Arousa and

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...

in Galicia. In addition Talgo Avril will replace S-112 trains for the Avlo Madrid–

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Madrid–

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, Madrid–

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

and Murcia–Madrid–

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

services. A Talgo Avril train reached 360 km/h top-speed on the Ourense-Santiago de Compostela high-speed line on Iberian gauge as part of homologation testing.

Gallery

File:Talgo AVRIL.jpg, Talgo Avril concept at InnoTrans 2012 File:Máquina Talgo AVRIL.jpg, Coupling of the Avril concept

Notes

{{High-speed rail Talgo Electric multiple units with locomotive-like power cars High-speed trains 25 kV AC multiple units 3000 V DC multiple units

Design

History

Gallery

See also

Notes