Talgo AVRIL

Summary

Talgo Avril is a high-speed train that Talgo is developing. It stands for "Alta Velocidad Rueda Independiente Ligero" (roughly translated as "Light High-Speed Independent Wheel").[1]

Avril
Renfe Class 106 train at Córdoba railway station
ManufacturerTalgo
Family nameAvril
Constructed2012
Capacity> 500 (200 m (656 ft 2 in)) - 735 (low cost version +200 m (656 ft 2 in))
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminum and composite material
Train length200 m (656 ft 2 in) (standard version)
Car lengthTrailer car, 13 m (42 ft 8 in)
Width2.9–3.2 m (9 ft 6 in – 10 ft 6 in)(according to versions)
Maximum speed380 km/h (240 mph)
Weight287 t - 315 t (according to versions)
Traction systemUp to 12 synchronous motors
Power output8800 kW - 10000 kW (according to versions)
Power supplyOverhead catenary or
On board generator
(Hybrid propulsion)
Electric system(s)25 kV/50 Hz; 15 kV/16.7 Hz; 3 kV DC; 1.5 kV DC and multivoltage
Current collector(s)Pantograph
Braking system(s)Regenerative dynamic braking, pneumatic brake
Track gaugeFixed gauge (1,435 mm, 1,520 mm or 1,668 mm) and variable gauge

Design edit

The train is intended to have a top speed of 380 km/h (240 mph).[1] It will have front and rear power cars containing under-floor/over-roof equipment and 8 trailer cars in between the power cars, giving a total seating capacity comparable to those of an electric multiple unit rather than a locomotive-hauled train.[1] The trailer cars will have an unusually short length of 13 m (42 ft 8 in).[1]

Other details:[2]

  • The train will be 3.2 metres (10 ft) wide, allowing for a standard 3x2 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 will be compatible with four voltages—25 kV/50 Hz; 15 kV/16.7 Hz; 3 kV DC; 1.5 kV DC.

History edit

Talgo presented the Avril concept at the InnoTrans fair in Berlin in September 2010.[3] After several years of development and testing, the first order for Avril trains was placed in November 2016, when Spanish operator Renfe Operadora signed a €786.5 million contract for 15 train sets and 30 years of maintenance.[4] In May 2017, Renfe Operadora ordered 15 more train sets, with the Avril's entry into service expected in 2020,[5] delayed to March 2024.[6]

In 2023, French operator Le Train signed a €300 million contract for 10 train sets and 30 years of maintenance.[7]

From 21 May 2024, Renfe schedules new AVE services to the Spanish regions of Asturias and Galicia, operated by variable gauge Talgo Avril trains under the class name S-106. Those AVE services are replacing the previously Alvia services Madrid Chamartín-Gijón and Castellón de la Plana/Vinaros-Gijón via Oviedo in Asturias and the Alvia services Madrid-A Coruña and Madrid-Vigo via Santiago de Compostela, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Pontevedra in Galicia.[8]

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. [9]

Gallery edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Talgo's 380 km/h Avril train to take on the airlines". Railway Gazette International. 27 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Talgo Avril Very High Speed Train". Railway Technology. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Avril, tren español de "muy alta velocidad" (in Spanish)". 20minutos. 24 September 2010.
  4. ^ "Talgo wins Spanish high speed train order". Railway Gazette International. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. ^ "RENFE orders gauge-changing high speed trainsets". Railway Gazette International. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. ^ Vila, Carlos I. Castrillón, Ángel (2024-01-05). "Los trenes Avril a 300 km/h Vigo-Madrid llegan con los Reyes Magos, y serán también low cost". Metropolitano (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Artymiuk, Simon (2023-01-24). "Le Train signs contract with Talgo for 10 Avril high-speed trains". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  8. ^ Felipe, Santiago (17 April 2024). "Renfe estrenará los nuevos Avril el 21 de mayo con nueve servicios que atravesarán Castilla y León hacia Asturias y Galicia". www.larazon.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  9. ^ May, Tiana (2022-09-09). "Talgo Avril Achieves New Speed Record in Iberian Gauge". Railway-News. Retrieved 2022-10-15.