Spain: The national operator Renfe has confirmed to business publication El Economista that it has received all five affected trainsets. Renfe noted that the repairs were completed under a five-year factory warranty, and that the trains are now approved for passenger operations.
The five trainsets, named Alvo, are designed for 1,435 mm gauge and operate between Madrid and Barcelona. They were withdrawn in August after cracks were discovered in motor bogie frames of one train. Subsequent inspections identified similar issues on four other vehicles.
One of the cracks detected in the bogie of the Avril train by Talgo. Source: heraldodeleon
At the same time, the rest 22 Avril trains supplied to the operator passed inspections and continued commercial services. After the incident, Renfe has published an order, which is still on effect, to limit the speed to 250 km/h on this line. Previously, Avril trains were running at a speed of up to 300 km/h.
