Villaverde maintenance facility to become traction motor centre

The Villaverde maintenance facility in Madrid will become a European reference centre. It will focus on train traction motor maintenance. The strategic collaboration agreement is between Renfe Ingeniería y Mantenimiento and Mitsubishi Electric Europe. RailwayPro reported the deal.

Villaverde maintenance facility and traction motor services

Also, the two-year agreement may be extended by mutual consent. Under it, the two companies will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services. Those services will cover train traction motors. They will span Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. In addition, the deal includes specialised training. Renfe Ingeniería y Mantenimiento staff will deliver these services. Mitsubishi Electric Europe will provide Renfe with its expertise and working methods. It will also offer the training needed. This will ensure that Renfe personnel are qualified to carry out those activities.

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Meanwhile, training will take place at the Villaverde maintenance depot. It will be delivered by personnel designated by Mitsubishi Electric Europe. For example, Mitsubishi will define the requirements for each piece of equipment. These cover repair instructions, production methods, tools, equipment, spare parts and the related quality checks. At the same time, Renfe will provide the industrial capacity needed to perform the work. Separately, the first project this year will focus on heavy maintenance of traction motors. It will cover the Serie 449 trains. These electric multiple units were built by CAF.

Renfe Ingeniería y Mantenimiento workshop network

Also, Renfe Ingeniería y Mantenimiento has more than 3,000 employees. It is the Renfe Group company specialised in rolling stock maintenance. Its industrial capabilities are designed to support train reliability, safety and availability. Meanwhile, it operates 94 centres across Spain, as Renfe notes. These centres include:

• first-level workshops for rapid and simple interventions;
• second-level workshops for more complex interventions requiring trains to be taken out of service;
• specialised component repair centres.

Still, around 1,000 trains pass through these facilities each year. Roughly 300 heavy maintenance interventions are carried out annually.

EUR 1 billion maintenance investment through 2030

Meanwhile, Renfe is transforming its maintenance model through a historic investment exceeding EUR 1 billion. It was announced by the Ministry of Transport in October 2025. It was also previously covered by Railway Supply. In addition, this forms part of the Comprehensive Workshop and Maintenance Plan 2025–2030. The plan is aimed primarily at modernising, digitising and expanding the company’s maintenance facilities. Its goal is to improve the quality of rail services.

Also, EUR 420 million is allocated to workshops already under construction. It also covers workshops in the design phase. Up to an additional EUR 490 million is currently under study. At the same time, a further EUR 295.6 million has been allocated. It is for the Industrial Facilities Improvement Plan. Still, 25% of the planned actions have already been completed.

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