Four Avelia Euroduplex trains from the SNCF fleet came into commercial service on 10 May on the Madrid-Barcelona route, operated by OUIGO España, a local SNCF subsidiary.
The trains were converted by Alstom and SNCF to run on Spain’s high-speed rail network.
A further 10 trains are currently being transformed to operate on a range of the country’s high-speed routes: initially Madrid to Valencia and Madrid to Alicante, followed by two routes in Andalusia; Madrid to Seville and Madrid to Malaga.
During the conversion process, Alstom installed on-board signalling equipment, based on its Atlas digital European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). This ensures that the trains are compliant and can be approved for Spanish infrastructures.
“The implementation of this project is further proof of the confidence international operators have in Alstom's main line signalling system in Europe, while indicating our ability to guide these operators towards the success of their expansion plans in European rail markets that are open to competition.”
The signalling equipment was developed by Alstom’s digital mobility experts in Saint-Ouen, France, while the conversion and testing is being carried out at its Belfort site.
The project is being led by Alstom’s French team in La Rochelle, which is in charge of transforming the passenger cars and assisting SNCF with the approval of the converted trains in Spain.
The initial phase of the project was completed in 17 months, including design, industrialisation of signalling equipment and integration into the existing train.
