Alvia

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

Trains and Routes

, RENFE Class 120, RENFE Class 130 and RENFE Class 730 trains are in service.

Class 120 trains are used on the routes from Madrid to Pamplona, Logroño, Bilbao, Irún and Hendaye and changing gauge there), from Madrid to Huelva changing gauge at Seville, from Madrid to Santander changing gauge at Venta de Baños from Madrid to Salamanca changing gauge at Medina del Campo and between Barcelona and San Sebastian, Bilbao (running on high-speed lines between Barcelona and Zaragoza).

Class 130 trains are used on the routes from Madrid to Cádiz, from Madrid to Avilés changing gauge at León, and from Alicante to Gijón and Santander changing gauge at León and Venta de Baños respectively, and between Barcelona and Salamanca/ Galicia.

Finally Class 730 are used on the routes from Madrid Chamartín to A Coruña, Ferrol, Vigo, Lugo and Badajoz as well as from Madrid Atocha to Almeria and Algeciras. 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

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–Algeciras via Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Córdoba, Antequera, Ronda and San Roque-la Línea.
* Madrid–Almeria, via Córdoba, Antequera, Granada and Guadix.
* 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 traveling from Madrid to Ferrol, Galicia, took a curve well above the posted speed limit, and the train derailed near Santiago de Compostela killing 79 people and injuring more than 140.

References

External links

RENFE Alvia
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High-speed rail in Spain
Renfe