Speaking at the Rail Live trade fair in Madrid on 27 November, Spain’s new Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed that state operator Renfe will open an international tender in early 2026 to buy a batch of 35-45 very-high-speed trainsets. The programme—estimated by sector analysts at €1.8-2.2 billion—aims to replace ageing Talgo ‘Avril’ stock and add capacity as ridership on AVE and Avlo services heads toward a record 50 million passengers next year.
Puente singled out five rolling-stock makers already approached in market soundings: Siemens (Velaro Novo), China’s CRRC (CR450), Hitachi Rail (Frecciarossa 1000), CAF (Oaris 2.0) and Alstom (Avelia Horizon). Only Siemens and Hitachi have trains certified above 350 km/h in Europe, but Renfe says bids will be judged on lifecycle cost, delivery speed, maintainability and the ability to retrofit ERTMS signalling for cross-border operations into France and, longer term, Portugal.
For global-mobility and corporate-travel managers, the announcement signals that Spain intends to keep pushing rail as a competitive alternative to short-haul flying, especially on the busy Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Valencia corridors. Once in service—target date 2029—the new fleet should cut the Madrid-Barcelona journey to 2 hours 15 minutes, enabling same-day business trips without overnight stays and reducing CO₂ footprints under green-travel policies. The tender also foresees up to 15 per cent more seats per train, easing pressure on peak-hour availability that currently forces companies to book flexible fares at premium rates.
![Renfe to Launch €2 Billion Tender for Next-Generation High-Speed Trains]()
The procurement comes after Talgo’s Avril units were sidelined by bogie-frame cracks, prompting Renfe to reassign them to lower-speed Avant services. The technical problems, combined with market liberalisation that introduced Ouigo and Iryo competitors, have exposed capacity gaps just as Spain targets 75 million AVE riders by 2030. Funding for the new trains will mix Renfe cash flow, European Investment Bank loans and, potentially, EU Green Deal grants linked to modal-shift objectives.
Manufacturers are already lobbying Madrid. Siemens touts low energy consumption; Hitachi points to proven performance in Italian and Spanish operations; Alstom highlights double-decker capacity; CRRC offers unmatched top speed but faces EU subsidy-investigation hurdles. CAF argues that a domestically built Oaris would keep jobs and know-how in Spain—a factor that could sway a minority-government coalition keen on reindustrialisation.
The tender dossier, due to be made public in February 2026, will stipulate at least 85 per cent fleet availability and a 30-year maintenance contract. Bidders must guarantee delivery of the first units by mid-2029—ambitious but, Puente insisted, “non-negotiable if Spain is to stay at the forefront of high-speed mobility.”
Puente singled out five rolling-stock makers already approached in market soundings: Siemens (Velaro Novo), China’s CRRC (CR450), Hitachi Rail (Frecciarossa 1000), CAF (Oaris 2.0) and Alstom (Avelia Horizon). Only Siemens and Hitachi have trains certified above 350 km/h in Europe, but Renfe says bids will be judged on lifecycle cost, delivery speed, maintainability and the ability to retrofit ERTMS signalling for cross-border operations into France and, longer term, Portugal.
For global-mobility and corporate-travel managers, the announcement signals that Spain intends to keep pushing rail as a competitive alternative to short-haul flying, especially on the busy Madrid–Barcelona and Madrid–Valencia corridors. Once in service—target date 2029—the new fleet should cut the Madrid-Barcelona journey to 2 hours 15 minutes, enabling same-day business trips without overnight stays and reducing CO₂ footprints under green-travel policies. The tender also foresees up to 15 per cent more seats per train, easing pressure on peak-hour availability that currently forces companies to book flexible fares at premium rates.
The procurement comes after Talgo’s Avril units were sidelined by bogie-frame cracks, prompting Renfe to reassign them to lower-speed Avant services. The technical problems, combined with market liberalisation that introduced Ouigo and Iryo competitors, have exposed capacity gaps just as Spain targets 75 million AVE riders by 2030. Funding for the new trains will mix Renfe cash flow, European Investment Bank loans and, potentially, EU Green Deal grants linked to modal-shift objectives.
Manufacturers are already lobbying Madrid. Siemens touts low energy consumption; Hitachi points to proven performance in Italian and Spanish operations; Alstom highlights double-decker capacity; CRRC offers unmatched top speed but faces EU subsidy-investigation hurdles. CAF argues that a domestically built Oaris would keep jobs and know-how in Spain—a factor that could sway a minority-government coalition keen on reindustrialisation.
The tender dossier, due to be made public in February 2026, will stipulate at least 85 per cent fleet availability and a 30-year maintenance contract. Bidders must guarantee delivery of the first units by mid-2029—ambitious but, Puente insisted, “non-negotiable if Spain is to stay at the forefront of high-speed mobility.”
