Talgo AVRIL

[nwales58]

Genuinely one of the worst trains I have ever been on. And I live in West Yorkshire...!!

Purple AVLO or white Ave? If Ave, 2+3 standard or 2+2 Confort?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Currently on a (late running) Talgo AVRIL from Valencia to Madrid at full speed. The ride is truly appalling - very joggly and bumping on the stops with panels rattling in all directions. The buffet car steward was having a right old time keeping things in order - it has an open plan layout with a ridiculously small slippy counter. I' m in one the '3' seats but the other two are not taken fortunately.

Clearly there is a design fault - I've ridden on the wretched things on several lines now so it is not the track condition.

 

[duesselmartin]

Lets hope the DB and DSB Talgo trains are better.

 

[MarkyT]

Currently on a (late running) Talgo AVRIL from Valencia to Madrid at full speed. The ride is truly appalling - very joggly and bumping on the stops with panels rattling in all directions. The buffet car steward was having a right old time keeping things in order - it has an open plan layout with a ridiculously small slippy counter. I' m in one the '3' seats but the other two are not taken fortunately.

Clearly there is a design fault - I've ridden on the wretched things on several lines now so it is not the track condition.

It's very disappointing the ride has proven so poor on modern high speed track. Do you find it particularly rough only above a certain speed? ICE-L reports suggest, while not perfect, they are far more acceptable, but they're going only two-thirds of the speed at maximum. For Avril, I wonder if there is a problem in adequately tuning passive suspension for such a wide band all the way up to full speed.

 

[nwales58]

Lets hope the DB and DSB Talgo trains are better.

They are not the fatso widened overweight Avril version of the Talgo coach

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Nov 2025 ==

If the RENFE S-107 ever enters service we will be able to compare properly like for like.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

It's very disappointing the ride has proven so poor on modern high speed track. Do you find it particularly rough only above a certain speed? ICE-L reports suggest, while not perfect, they are far more acceptable, but they're going only two-thirds of the speed at maximum. For Avril, I wonder if there is a problem in adequately tuning passive suspension for such a wide band all the way up to full speed.

It is rough at all speeds to be honest, but at 300km/h 'lively' would be the kindest description. I'm currently Sevilla bound on a S102/112 - the ride is fine. Had to change stations in Madrid, but ticked off the new standard gauge tunnel!

 

[Mag_seven]

It is rough at all speeds to be honest, but at 300km/h 'lively' would be the kindest description. I'm currently Sevilla bound on a S102/112 - the ride is fine. Had to change stations in Madrid, but ticked off the new standard gauge tunnel!

Thread unlocked for an update from @signed

 

[signed]

Yet again, another trip down bogies cracks

After having had to halt 5 units last summer, Renfe has publicized that other AVRIL units have developed those issues, 2 sent back to the workshop, and Renfe have now fined Talgo 116 million € for the whole debacle

Renfe llama a capítulo a Talgo tras detectar nuevas averías en los AVE

El pedido de 30 trenes de alta velocidad que Renfe encargó a Talgo en 2016 por valor de unos 2.000 millones de euros no deja de dar disgustos al operador estatal dependiente del...

www.expansion.com

La operadora descubre más fisuras en los 'bogies' de la Serie 106 comprada a Talgo en 2016, un tren con fallos desde su puesta en circulación en 2024.
El pedido de 30 trenes de alta velocidad que Renfe encargó a Talgo en 2016 por valor de unos 2.000 millones de euros no deja de dar disgustos al operador estatal dependiente del Ministerio de Transportes.
Después de retirar el verano de 2025 cinco trenes de circulación de la Serie 106 (plataforma Avril) que hacían el Madrid-Barcelona con la marca Avlo por fisuras en los bogies (estructura de ejes y ruedas de un tren), Renfe ha reconocido que en agosto ha tenido que mandar a talleres otras dos ramas del mismo tren al detectar nuevas anomalías.
"Renfe mantendrá fuera de circulación cualquier tren sobre el que exista una duda respecto al estado de estos componentes y únicamente autorizará su explotación cuando haya superado los controles técnicos establecidos", ha indicado esta miércoles la compañía presidida por Álvaro Hernández, que ha vuelto a llamar a capítulo al fabricante controlado por un consorcio público-privado vasco. Estos trenes, tras ser retirados del Madrid-Barcelona, circulan, sobre todo, hacia Galicia y Asturias.
Los problemas de la tecnología de alta velocidad de Talgo comienzan a ser delicados, ya que, a día de hoy se desconoce el origen del problema que, inicialmente, se achacó al mal estado de la infraestructura. "Talgo ha trasladado que estas marcas han aparecido en trenes que no han circulado por el corredor Madrid-Barcelona, lo que permite descartar el estado de esa infraestructura como causa principal de los daños detectados.
El fabricante continúa analizando el origen de estos defectos", señala Renfe en una nota que pone de manifiesto el desconocimiento técnico de ambas partes sobre el origen del problema de la plataforma Avril, un tren sobre el que pesa una multa a Talgo de 114 millones de euros por retrasos en la entrega del pedido.
Con la detección de las primaras fisuras en 2025, Renfe y Talgo, para cumplir con los protocolos de seguridad ferroviaria, elaboraron un plan de control y seguimiento de la Serie 106 que, hasta ahora, solo ha servido para detectar los fallos, pero no corregirlos.
Hasta ahora, solo se sabe que Renfe ha requerido a Talgo que "que profundice en el análisis de las causas, determine el alcance del problema y adopte todas las medidas técnicas necesarias para garantizar la fiabilidad de los bogies actualmente en servicio".
Este año fabricante y su principal cliente llegaron a un acuerdo para pagar a plazos la multa de 116 millones y recomponer la Serie 106 para que las 30 unidades tengan rodadura desplazable. "Talgo ha realizado verificaciones adicionales sobre estos componentes mediante pruebas de extensometría, cuyos primeros resultados han sido positivos, y se llevarán a cabo ensayos adicionales en banco para completar su validación.
Estas garantías y posibles mejoras se extienden también a los trenes de la serie S107, cuyos equipos son equivalentes", indica Renfe sobre los trenes de las Series 106 y 107, en fase de reforma y de periodo de homologación, respectivamente.

Google Translate

The operator discovers more cracks in the bogies of the Series 106 trains purchased from Talgo in 2016, a train plagued with problems since entering service in 2024.

The order of 30 high-speed trains that Renfe placed with Talgo in 2016, worth approximately €2 billion, continues to cause problems for the state-owned operator, which reports to the Ministry of Transport.

After withdrawing five Series 106 trains (Avril platform) from service in the summer of 2025, which operated on the Madrid-Barcelona route under the Avlo brand, due to cracks in the bogies (the axle and wheel structure of a train), Renfe has acknowledged that in August it had to send two more trainsets of the same train to workshops after detecting new anomalies.

"Renfe will keep out of service any train about which there is any doubt regarding the condition of these components and will only authorize its operation once it has passed the established technical controls," the company, chaired by Álvaro Hernández, stated on Wednesday. Renfe has once again called the manufacturer, controlled by a Basque public-private consortium, to account. These trains, after being withdrawn from the Madrid-Barcelona route, are primarily operating on routes to Galicia and Asturias.

The problems with Talgo's high-speed technology are becoming critical, as the origin of the issue, initially attributed to the poor condition of the infrastructure, remains unknown. "Talgo has indicated that these marks have appeared on trains that have not run on the Madrid-Barcelona line, which allows us to rule out the condition of that infrastructure as the main cause of the detected damage.

The manufacturer continues to analyze the origin of these defects," Renfe stated in a press release that highlights the lack of technical knowledge on both sides regarding the origin of the problem with the Avril platform, a train for which Talgo faces a €114 million fine for delivery delays.

With the detection of the first cracks in 2025, Renfe and Talgo, in order to comply with railway safety protocols, developed a control and monitoring plan for the Series 106 trains, which, until now, has only served to detect the faults, but not to correct them.

So far, it is only known that Renfe has requested that Talgo "further analyze the causes, determine the scope of the problem, and adopt all the necessary technical measures to guarantee the reliability of the bogies currently in service."

This year, the manufacturer and its main customer reached an agreement to pay the €116 million fine in installments and to refurbish the Series 106 trains so that all 30 units have variable gauge axles. "Talgo has carried out additional verifications on these components using strain gauge tests, the initial results of which have been positive, and further bench tests will be performed to complete their validation.

These guarantees and potential improvements also extend to the S107 series trains, whose equipment is equivalent," Renfe stated regarding the Series 106 and 107 trains, which are currently undergoing refurbishment and homologation, respectively.