Renfe issues high-speed tender with China in play
SPAIN: Renfe has issued its largest ever rolling stock tender, covering 30 high-speed trainsets at 350 km/h with an option for 10 more — after months of public signals from Spain’s transport minister that Chinese manufacturers could be in contention.
Spain’s national operator approved the procurement on 25 March, with the base order valued at EUR 1.36bn and the full 40-train package at EUR 1.78bn, the largest single rolling stock purchase in the company’s history.
Delivery time carries explicit weight in the scoring criteria: the first five trainsets must be incorporated into service before month 40, with the full fleet fully operational by month 78 and one new train delivered every six weeks.
Delivery speed as procurement criterion
The tender was originally scheduled for January but was suspended for two months following the Adamuz rail accident, in which 46 people died.
The delivery timeline is a structural factor for the competition. Manufacturers without an established European homologation track face a certification process that can take up to two years of testing on continental infrastructure — making the month-40 threshold difficult to meet from a standing start. Where a trainset is authorised for use across more than one member state, approval from the European Union Agency for Railways is required.
The new trainsets must be built to UIC standard gauge, equipped with ETCS levels 0, 1 and 2 as well as Spain’s ASFA automatic train protection system, and carry a minimum of 450 seats across two classes. Onboard catering, cycle spaces and universal accessibility are also required. The trains will operate at 350 km/h once infrastructure upgrades are complete, beginning with the Madrid–Barcelona corridor.
China in the frame
Late 2025 transport minister Óscar Puente said he would travel to China to explore the possibility of acquiring Chinese-built high-speed trains, arguing that operational urgency should outweigh protectionist considerations.
He and Renfe president Álvaro Fernández Heredia subsequently visited manufacturers including CRRC in China, Siemens in Germany, Hitachi in Italy, and French manufacturer Alstom, alongside Spanish builders Talgo and CAF.
Whether any non-European manufacturer can meet the tender’s delivery requirements — given the time needed for European certification — remains an open question as the competition begins.
TRA previously:
Spain’s transport minister: our next high-speed fleet may be Chinese – Dec. 2025
Spain raises stakes on delivery speed in Renfe high-speed tender – Jan. 2026