The 106 series trains’ entry into service, which will finally occur on 21 May, has come to Renfe like water under the bridge. Their arrival was necessary to improve services and increase frequencies on other corridors.
This morning, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, and the President of Renfe, Raül Blanco, announced these changes.
The Renfe’s rolling stock reorganisation will be carried out in stages as the works in Chamartín are completed and the Avrils are delivered. All the new 106s will have to be in service by the end of the year, except for one, which will continue its homologation in France.
Puente has divided the reorganisation into three phases: May-June, July, and November. He also indicated that at the end of the year or early next year, the 107 series trains and the first new Cercanías EMUs will begin to be delivered to Renfe.
Thanks to the old Talgo 7-series Trenhotel trains’ entry into service, a new reorganisation of rolling stock will occur, which will be detailed later.
According to sources in the sector, one of the changes planned is the withdrawal from service of the Talgo VI trainsets. This milestone will mean the end of Renfe’s towed passenger train sets for non-tourist trains.
This is what Renfe’s rolling stock reorganisation will be like
The entry into service of the 106 series trains will free up units from the 130 and 730 series destined for other services. In turn, these Talgo 250s will replace series 120 units, releasing series 121 trains.
This domino effect, as the Minister has called it, will generate the following changes:
- Alicante-Barcelona. June. New Intercity with Talgo VI. This may be the last new service to be created with Talgo Pendular material.
- Barcelona-Cádiz, Torre del Oro. November. A 130 series will replace the 120 EMU. This will add 900 weekly seats.
- Madrid-Algeciras. November. Talgo 6 is to be replaced by 730. 600 weekly seats.
- Madrid-Almería. November. Talgo 6 via Alcázar de San Juan is replaced by a 730 via Granada. 840 seats per week.
- Madrid-Badajoz. In June, the Intercity with Talgo VI will be replaced by an Alvia with 730, providing 600 more weekly seats. Later, a third Alvia will be created, increasing the offer by 3,600 weekly seats.
- Madrid-Cádiz. June. Fourth Alvia with 130 series. 3,500 seats a week.
- Madrid-Huelva. The Intercity will become daily with series 121. 3,948 seats per week.
- Madrid-Logroño. November. New Alvia through Burgos with 120.05. It will offer 3,200 seats per week.
- Madrid-Malaga/Seville. July. Avlos in double composition when there is high demand.
- Madrid-Salamanca. July. Fourth Alvia with 121 series. 2,800 seats. When the 107 arrive, possibly a fifth daily Alvia with another 2,800 weekly seats will be added.
- Madrid-Teruel. November. New Alvia with 3,600 seats a week.
