AVRIL in May - now official!

On 11 April 2024 MITMS (Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible) Minister Óscar Puente announced that Renfe had now received the first ten Class 106 AVRIL high speed trains. These are to be used on services to Galicia and Asturias, where gauge-changing is necessary (in Taboadela, east of Ourense, and at León).

They will also enable the cascading of some members of the Class 130 fleet, enabling service improvements elsewhere on the network. Renfe will open sales of tickets for services operated by the AVRILs on 18 May, in readiness for their putting in commercial service on the 21st.

Delivery of the trains has been delayed finally by software problems, but has run nearly three and a half years behind schedule - the original plan was for deliveries to start in January 2021. Renfe is holding Talgo to a fine of 166 million EUR for this, though it is also increasing by 60,000 EUR for each day after 1 April that the trains are not handed over. The operator reckons that the explanations offered by the manufacturer do not justify the delays and states that they are "a flagrant act of not complying with contractural obligations".