A significant change has emerged in the technical specification of Renfe’s new Series 480 Medium Distance fleet.
In a video released yesterday by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility regarding Óscar Puente’s visit to the test campaign at the VUZ Velim test centre in the Czech Republic, the minister stated that the units would be tri-voltage.
Until now, the trains were known to be compatible with 3 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead electrification, enabling operation across the entire electrified network of the Spanish RFIG (national rail network). In addition, the units are equipped with onboard last mile batteries to bridge short non-electrified sections.
This morning, Renfe president Álvaro Fernández Heredia confirmed via X that the trains will also be capable of operating under 1.5 kV DC systems. This development makes the fleet interoperable with the conventional network in southern France. While still speculative, it opens the possibility of cross-border regional services such as Barcelona–Perpignan or San Sebastián–Bayonne.
CAF is manufacturing 70 units of the Series 480, based on its Civity platform. The trains will have a maximum speed of 200 km/h and will be delivered in two configurations: a three-car ‘basic’ version, 65 m long with 136 seats, and an extended five-car version, 100 m long with seating for 256 passengers.
Entry into service is scheduled for 2027, with initial deployment expected on the Mediterranean Corridor, although Renfe has yet to specify the exact services.