Adif orders one more diagnostics train

On 3 July 2023, following an invitation to tender issued in December 2022, with a bid submission deadline of 13 February 2023, Adif announced that it had ordered a diagnostics train from CAF, at a cost of over 21 million EUR, including maintenance over the first four years of the train's life and spare parts. 

Adif specified that the train shall have a minimum length of 95 m and a maximum length of 125 m. It would have to be of a type already authorised for use in Spain, with a top speed of at least 300 km/h, and could be retrofitted, as required, with the different on-board ATP systems currently used in Spain. A reliability level of 150,000 km annually of service would be necessary, with a 96 % level of availability. The date of full authorisation had to be no earlier than 2015. 

From the requirements, which more or less predetermined one particular product, CAF's unit 105-001 emerged as the most satisfactory vehicle. This is the only Oaris EMU built for use in Spain, the prototype of the Oaris family. Authorisation testing in Spain lasted from 2012 until late 2020. Renfe Viajeros then had plans for using it on Madrid to León services, but these came to nought. 

It will take about six months to retrofit 105-001 for its new role. It will be used for diagnostic work involving both track and catenary on the 1,435 mm gauge high speed network, at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Among the aspects of testing will be analysis of wayside ERTMS infrastructure (the train is equipped with ETCS, LZB and ASFA). LZB on the Madrid to Sevilla high speed line is to be phased out in the future, in favour of a migration to ERTMS.