Spain’s state-owned rail operator Renfe has taken delivery of 10 new high-speed ‘Alta Velocidad’ S106 trains, which will enter service on 21 May.
The new AVE S106 train – which features 12 carriages with more than 500 seats, touch screens in all seats and a cafeteria service – is part of the rail operator’s €5 billion fleet renewal as it expands its high-speed services to Asturias and Galicia in the country’s northwest.
In Asturias, this includes a high-speed connection to the centre of the Spanish mainland via the Pajares Bypass, established last November, and a faster connection to Oviedo and Gijón, according to Renfe.
In Galicia, the new S106 train will be put into service in Vigo, Pontevedra, Vilagarcía, Santiago and A Coruña, improving travel times by between 15 to 18 minutes, according to the rail operator.
Renfe said these new high-speed services will also benefit cities in Castile and Leon as well as Madrid.
Following the arrival of the new S106 model, the rail operator said its high-speed services will be reconfigured to offer “more regular departures, better travel time and more seats available across all corridors” as it progressively relocates trains to improve services on other lines.
Renfe plans to invest €1.3 billion for a total of 30 new S106 trains. High-speed trains were last added to the rail operator’s fleet in 2010 with the addition of the S112 model. The S114 model, serving its Avant high-speed mid-distance routes, joined Renfe's fleet in 2011.