Alvia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/130-07_en_el_Cambiador_de_Valdestillas.jpg/250px-130-07_en_el_Cambiador_de_Valdestillas.jpg)
Alvia is a high-speed train service in Spain used by Renfe Operadora for long-distance service with a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). The trains have the ability to use both Iberian gauge and standard gauge, which allows them to travel on the recently constructed high-speed lines for part of the journey before switching to the "classic" Iberian gauge network to complete it. Trains that run exclusively on high-speed tracks are branded AVE or Avant.
Routes[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Red_actual_de_ferrocarriles_de_Espa%C3%B1a_%28con_cambio_de_ancho%29_2014.png/260px-Red_actual_de_ferrocarriles_de_Espa%C3%B1a_%28con_cambio_de_ancho%29_2014.png)
As of January 2018, RENFE Class 120 / 121, RENFE Class 130 and RENFE Class 730 trains are in service.
Class 120 trains are used on the routes from Madrid to Pamplona, Logroño, Irún and Hendaye (France) (running on high-speed lines from Madrid to Venta de Baños and changing gauge there), and between Barcelona and Irún, Bilbao (running on high-speed lines between Barcelona and Zaragoza).
Class 121 trains are employed on the routes from Madrid to Huelva, Ponferrada, Gijón and Santander changing gauge at Seville, León and Venta de Baños.
Class 130 trains are used on the routes from Madrid to Bilbao, Irún, and Hendaye (changing gauge at Venta de Baños), from Alicante to Gijón and Santander changing gauge at León and Venta de Baños, between Castellón and Gijón (on high-speed lines from Castellón to León), and between Barcelona and Galicia.
Finally Class 730 are used on the routes from Alicante to A Coruña, Vigo and Pontevedra (on high-speed lines from Alicante to Zamora and from Santiago de Compostela to A Coruña and Vigo). [1]. These trains also operate the routes from Madrid to Murcia. Unlike the other classes, these can run on diesel as well as overhead electric power and so are used on those routes where lines are not electrified.
Crash[]
On 24 July 2013, the train driver of an Alvia 730 train travelling to Ferrol, Galicia, from Madrid took a curve well above the posted speed limit,[2] and derailed near Santiago de Compostela killing 81 people and injuring more than 140.[3][4]
References[]
- ^ "Alvia train types". Archived from the original on 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
- ^ Rodrigo Silva; Antonio Alonso (25 July 2013). "Accidente ferroviario en Santiago de Compostela" [Railway accident in Santiago de Compostela]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Event occurs at 00:02 CET. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/25/spain-train-derailment-crash.html
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23453320
External links[]
- RENFE Alvia (in Spanish)
- High-speed rail in Spain
- Renfe Operadora
- Spain stubs
- Electric locomotive stubs