AVE Class 100
Encyclopedia
The AVE Class 100 is the first series of AVE high speed trains
for the Spanish
state-run railway company RENFE
.
The Class 100 is manufactured by Alstom
and is directly derived from the French TGV
. It is made up of two 4,400 kW
power cars with two motorised bogie
s each and eight passenger cars with shared bogies. Unlike the French model, the Class 100 has both the Spanish ASFA and German LZB signalling systems. Furthermore, since 2004 nine of the Class 100 have the ERTMS system installed, as well as two extra coaches and cooling systems specially adapted to Spanish temperatures.
This class lived through all the changes involved in the creation of the Spanish high speed network; originally the plan was to build the high speed route to Andalusia on an Iberian gauge
track . At the last minute, it was decided that it should be standard gauge
, meaning RENFE changed its original order for 24 Iberian gauge units to sixteen standard gauge ones, which were delivered between 1991 and 1993.
After various changes in the contract with Alstom and compensation for delays the final eight were delivered; two standard gauge sets and 6 Iberian gauge sets. The Iberian sets became the AVE Class 101 which used to operate the Euromed
services along the Mediterranean corridor (this route is now covered by the RENFE Class 130
trains).
The Class 100, namely train 100015, set one of the most important Spanish speed records, reaching 356.8 kilometres per hour (221.7 mph) on a test run. Its previous record had been 330 km/h (205.1 mph) on an earlier test run. The Class 100 was also involved in speed tests using Talgo
carriages.
This class has almost exclusively served the Madrid-Seville line. They were used on the Madrid-Barcelona line for a short period until introduction of the RENFE Class 102. The units used on the Barcelona line had to have their pantographs
changed as well as installation of the ERTMS system.
In 2007, after fifteen years of service—half of the trains' expected working life—the entire Class 100 fleet was refurbished.
In February 2011, on account of financial pressures, RENFE announced that, instead of buying 10 new trains to cover the Paris-Madrid route, it would convert AVE Class 100 trains for the route, at a cost of €30,000,000, rather than €270,000,000. RENFE announced that the capacity would be increased to keep the cost down, in addition to the conversion work planned for the trains' electrification and signalling systems.
AVE
Alta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
for the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
state-run railway company RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
.
The Class 100 is manufactured by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
and is directly derived from the French TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
. It is made up of two 4,400 kW
Kw
kw or KW may refer to:* Kuwait, ISO 3166-1 country code** .kw, the country code top level domain for Kuwait* Kilowatt* Self-ionization of water Kw* Cornish language's ISO 639 code* Kitchener–Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...
power cars with two motorised bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s each and eight passenger cars with shared bogies. Unlike the French model, the Class 100 has both the Spanish ASFA and German LZB signalling systems. Furthermore, since 2004 nine of the Class 100 have the ERTMS system installed, as well as two extra coaches and cooling systems specially adapted to Spanish temperatures.
This class lived through all the changes involved in the creation of the Spanish high speed network; originally the plan was to build the high speed route to Andalusia on an Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge is the name given to the track gauge most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal: namely ....
track . At the last minute, it was decided that it should be standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, meaning RENFE changed its original order for 24 Iberian gauge units to sixteen standard gauge ones, which were delivered between 1991 and 1993.
After various changes in the contract with Alstom and compensation for delays the final eight were delivered; two standard gauge sets and 6 Iberian gauge sets. The Iberian sets became the AVE Class 101 which used to operate the Euromed
Euromed (train)
Euromed is a high speed rail service which uses series 101 EMU rolling stock with bogies adapted for use on the 1,668mm Iberian gauge track. Traction current, supplied by overhead lines, can be either 3,000 volts, direct current or 25,000 volts, 50 Hz, alternating current...
services along the Mediterranean corridor (this route is now covered by the RENFE Class 130
RENFE Class 130
The RENFE Class 130 or S-130 is a high speed dual gauge, dual voltage trainset consisting of eleven Talgo VII tilting coaches and two power cars...
trains).
The Class 100, namely train 100015, set one of the most important Spanish speed records, reaching 356.8 kilometres per hour (221.7 mph) on a test run. Its previous record had been 330 km/h (205.1 mph) on an earlier test run. The Class 100 was also involved in speed tests using Talgo
Talgo
Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches...
carriages.
This class has almost exclusively served the Madrid-Seville line. They were used on the Madrid-Barcelona line for a short period until introduction of the RENFE Class 102. The units used on the Barcelona line had to have their pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
changed as well as installation of the ERTMS system.
In 2007, after fifteen years of service—half of the trains' expected working life—the entire Class 100 fleet was refurbished.
In February 2011, on account of financial pressures, RENFE announced that, instead of buying 10 new trains to cover the Paris-Madrid route, it would convert AVE Class 100 trains for the route, at a cost of €30,000,000, rather than €270,000,000. RENFE announced that the capacity would be increased to keep the cost down, in addition to the conversion work planned for the trains' electrification and signalling systems.