RENFE Class 100 On Test In France

RENFE’s 100.024 started life as a dual-voltage (3 and 25 kV) 1,668 mm gauge Class 101 in the mid-1990s, used on Barcelona to València and Alacant Euromed services. A few years ago the train was re-gauged to 1,435 mm for use on Madrid to Sevilla services (and lost its 3 kV DC capability). In summer 2012 it was sent to Alstom’s La Sagra works, to be equipped for operation off 1.5 kV DC. Here we see the train at Laroche-Migennes on 19 December 2012, during a test run under 1.5 kV DC. Further tests are planned between Perpignan and Figueres, since the train is one of a batch of Class 100s being equipped for services linking Spain with France starting in summer 2013.