Alvia

Alvia is a high-speed train service in Spain offered by Renfe Operadora on long-distance routes 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

Mixed-high speed services via conventional lines in Spain. Sections over High-speed railway lines in blue, sections over conventional line (in Iberian gauge) in red).

As of January 2018^[update], 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 Burgos 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 Burgos), 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 Madrid Chamartín to A Coruña, Ferrol, Vigo, Pontevedra, Lugo and Badajoz.^[1]^[2] These trains also used to operate the routes from Madrid to Murcia, before those are replaced by AVE services. 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.

Operational services

Alvia Madrid-Hendaye (RENFE Class 130) at Valdestillas, Valladolid.

As of 2024^[update] Renfe offers the following Alvia services:

Alicante–Santander, via Villena, Albacete, Cuenca, Madrid, Segovia, Valladolid, Palencia and Torrelavega.
Barcelona–A Coruña, via Camp Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Castejon, Tafalla, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Miranda de Ebro, Burgos, Palencia, Sahagun, León, Astorga, Bembibre, Ponferrada, O Barco de Valdeorras, A Rúa, San Clodio-Quiroga, Monforte de Lemos, Ourense and Santiago de Compostela.
Barcelona–Bilbao, via Camp Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Castejon, Calahorra, Logroño, Haro and Miranda De Ebro.
Barcelona–San Sebastian, via Camp Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Castejon, Tafalla, Pamplona, Altsasu and Zumarraga.
Barcelona–Salamanca, via Camp Tarragona, Lleida, Zaragoza, Tudela, Castejon, Tafalla, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Miranda de Ebro, Burgos, Valladolid and Medina del Campo.
Barcelona–Vigo, via Lleida, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Burgos, León, Ponferrada, Ourense and Guillarei, with connection services to Gijón in León and to A Coruña in Monforte de Lemos.
Gijón–Alicante, via Oviedo, Mieres Del Camín, La Pola, León, Palencia, Valladolid, Segovia, Madrid, Cuenca, Albacete and Villena.
Madrid–Avilés, via Palencia, León, Mieres Del Camín and Oviedo.
Madrid–Badajoz, via Leganés, Torrijos, Talavera De La Reina, Oropesa de Toledo, Navalmoral De La Mata, Monfragüe-plasencia, Cáceres and Mérida.
Madrid–Bilbao, via Segovia, Valladolid, Burgos and Miranda de Ebro.
Madrid–Badajoz, via Leganés, Torrijos, Talavera De La Reina, Oropesa, Navalmoral De La Mata, Monfragüe-plasencia, Cáceres and Mérida.
Madrid–Cádiz, via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba, Sevilla and Jerez de la Frontera.
Madrid–Ferrol, via Segovia, Medina del Campo, Zamora, Sanabria, A Gudiña, Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Betanzos and Pontedeume.
Madrid–Huelva, via Cordoba and La Palma Del Condado.
Madrid–Irun, via Segovia, Valladolid, Burgos, Miranda de Ebro, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Zumarraga, Tolosa and San Sebastián.
Madrid–Logroño, via Guadalajara, Calatayud, Tudela and Calahorra
Madrid–Lugo, via Segovia, Medina del Campo, Zamora, Sanabria, A Gudiña, Ourense, Monforte De Lemos and Sarria.
Madrid–Pamplona, via Guadalajara, Calatayud, Tudela and Tafalla.
Madrid–Salamanca, via Segovia and Medina del Campo.
Madrid–Santander, via Valladolid, Palencia, Aguilar De Campoo, Reinosa and Torrelavega.
Madrid–Vigo, via Segovia and Medina del Campo, Zamora, Sanabria, A Gudiña, Ourense, Vilagarcia De Arousa and Pontevedra (trains with selective stops are also scheduled).

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,^[3] and derailed near Santiago de Compostela killing 81 people and injuring more than 140.^[4]^[5]

References

^ "Alvia train types". Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
^ "Renfe inaugurates new high-speed line". railtech.com. 19 July 2022.
^ 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.
^ "Spain train crash video shows moment of derailmentSocial Sharing". CBC. 25 July 2013.
^ "Spain train crash: Driver faces investigation". BBC News. 25 July 2013.

External links

RENFE Alvia (in Spanish)

[alvia_preferente-1] "Alvia train types". Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2009.

[2] "Renfe inaugurates new high-speed line". railtech.com. 19 July 2022.

[ElPais25July2013-3] 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.

[cbscrash-4] "Spain train crash video shows moment of derailmentSocial Sharing". CBC. 25 July 2013.

[bbc-5] "Spain train crash: Driver faces investigation". BBC News. 25 July 2013.

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