A fleet of new super-speed trains being delivered to Spain’s RENFE may shake up rail service in France and Portugal as well, once they enter service in November.
The Talgo Avril trains combine a 380 kilometer per hour speed with the ability to shift between Portugal’s slightly wider track gauge and the one used by European high-speed trains. RENFE has been planning to enter the Portugal market with routes to Lisbon and Porto, using Portugal’s only high-speed track between Lisbon and Porto.
The added speed, 60-80 kph faster than France’s current TGV services, could also give RENFE an edge in France, since it would allow trains to link Paris and Madrid in just over three hours.
