Renfe has awarded Siemens Mobility a €1.218 billion contract to supply 30 Velaro Novo high-speed trainsets designed to operate at 350 km/h, according to Railway Gazette International. The contract includes maintenance equipment and an option for 10 additional trainsets. Rivals Hitachi and Talgo participated in the tender, with Hitachi offering its ETR1000 design and Talgo excluded due to late bid submission. CAF and CRRC did not meet the speed or certification requirements, while Alstom has ongoing orders for its Avelia Horizon trains.
Renfe requires the delivery of the first five trains within 40 months of contract signing, with the full
order to be completed within 62 months. The Velaro Novo trains will replace Renfe’s 23 Series 100 trainsets, which will reach 35 years of service by 2027. These new trainsets will operate on standard gauge high-speed lines connecting Madrid with Barcelona and Sevilla, as well as future routes to the Basque region, Cantabria, Navarra, and Huelva.
The seven-car, single-deck Velaro Novo trains feature 404 tourist class seats arranged 2+2 and 116 first class seats arranged 2+1. Seats can be adjusted to face the direction of travel and come equipped with power outlets and USB ports. The design incorporates weight reduction,
a new bogie system, and aerodynamic improvements aimed at lowering energy consumption, noise, and vibrations. Enhanced digital architecture will support high-capacity Wi-Fi and improved passenger information systems. The trains also include advanced system monitoring with predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics to increase availability and reliability.
Renfe emphasized the need to avoid delivery delays experienced in its previous acquisition of Talgo S106 Avril trainsets, which were scheduled for delivery in January 2021 but only entered service in May 2024. Siemens Mobility was selected in part due to its financial stability and capacity to manage large-scale projects internationally. A Siemens Mobility spokesperson
highlighted the company’s nearly two decades of Velaro operations in Spain, pointing to the trains’ energy efficiency, higher passenger capacity, and reduced lifecycle costs.
The Velaro Novo trains are an evolution of the Series 103 Velaro E sets first supplied in 2007. Technical advancements focus on maximizing passenger space, reducing energy use, and facilitating maintenance. The trains also feature high-capacity batteries providing last-mile capability to move independently in the event of an incident, reducing reliance on rescue locomotives.
