Renfe and Talgo have approved a revision of the maintenance contract for the Avril (Class 106) fleet, increasing costs by 29%. The service will continue to be delivered via Tarvia, the joint venture owned by Talgo (51%) and Renfe Mantenimiento (49%).
The update is directly linked to the conversion of the first 15 trainsets to variable gauge, requiring maintenance regimes to be adapted to the fleet’s new technical configuration.
Under the revised framework, Renfe will procure all spare parts for the trains. These will then be transferred to Tarvia, which will manage them within the scope of the maintenance contract.
The changes aim to align costs and maintenance procedures with the Avril fleet’s new operational requirements following modification, ensuring availability and reliability in commercial service.
The revision forms part of the same agreement under which Renfe has commissioned the conversion of 15 fixed-gauge units to variable gauge for €132m, €16m more than the penalty imposed on Talgo for delivery delays.
The Avril ultimately costs more than CAF’s Oaris
However, the most contentious aspect concerns the original contract award. Talgo’s maintenance bid was 18.2% lower than CAF’s (€449m for the first 15 trainsets versus €549m). In 2020, Talgo negotiated a €100m increase for maintaining 30 trainsets.
With the 29% rise, the total now exceeds what CAF had proposed to maintain its Oaris platform. CAF’s bid totalled €870m for manufacturing and maintaining the initial 15 units.
Applying the increase across the remaining 28 years, Talgo’s maintenance revenue rises from €786.5m to approximately €877m. If applied retroactively, including the two years already elapsed, the figure reaches €918m—€48m above CAF’s offer.
In this scenario, the €589m attributable to maintenance of the first 15 trainsets approaches the €600m proposed by Siemens.