Talgo Le Train deal in doubt after Renfe halts France plans

Talgo Le Train deal is in doubt after Renfe halted its planned expansion into France. Spanish media said it left Talgo’s Avril platform without a clear path to French approval. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Renfe’s France plans stalled by Avril homologation

Earlier this year, Renfe indefinitely delayed its entry into the French high-speed market. The Spanish state-backed operator cited “accumulated difficulties” in certifying its troubled Talgo Avril trains. Also, it cited the lack of a reliable timetable for launching services, as Trenvista reported. Renfe also repeatedly accused French infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau of hindering the process. It said the delays limited its ability to compete with the incumbent on its home market.

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Still, Renfe’s difficulties appear to have centred on the Talgo-built trains themselves. Homologation in France was also part of the problem. Testing there began in 2022. Four years later, the Spanish rolling stock still has not been approved for French lines. By comparison, Paris took about two years to certify Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa trains. That delay pushed Renfe’s expected launch window from 2024 to 2029. The operator eventually stepped back from its French plans. The operator’s French deployment had also been expected to help Talgo advance Avril homologation there.

Why the Talgo Le Train deal is now at risk?

Renfe’s withdrawal from France has wider consequences. The operator is expected to bring its Talgo trains back to Spain. Talgo had expected to use Renfe’s route into France for that approval process. That route is now disappearing. The Basque manufacturer’s prospective €350 million train deal with Le Train is now at risk.

Le Train plans to launch high-speed services in western France. It reached a preliminary agreement with Talgo in 2023 covering up to ten Avril trainsets. El Economista said the deal was explicitly dependent on the trains obtaining French homologation. Renfe was supposed to deploy the rolling stock on the Lyon–Paris corridor. That was meant to unlock the process. Those plans have now been put on hold indefinitely.

Testing in France may stop with no clear path

Only one Avril unit is still being used for homologation testing in France, El Economista said. It is expected to return to Spain for domestic service. Renfe ordered 30 Avril trains in total, 27 of which are already running. The remaining units are either being prepared for coupled operation or reassigned from testing work.

If that train leaves France, the certification process would lose its only active vehicle there. Without an active unit there, no obvious short-term path remains for the approval process. That creates further pressure on the Talgo-Le Train deal. Talgo sources told El Economista that, despite the setback, the company would “maintain its agreement with Le Train and we will work together to do everything in our power and manage the necessary processes.”

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