Talgo will propose high-speed trains adaptable to two gauges to Portugal

Talgo will propose high-speed trains to Portugal adaptable to two gauges Talgo intends to produce the first high-speed trains for Portugal with circulation capacity on both Iberian and international gauges, said the executive chairman (CEO) of the Spanish company, Ricardo Chocarro. Talgo and the French company Alstom were the two companies chosen last month to present proposals for the supply of high-speed trains to Comboios de Portugal (CP), in a competition with a base value of 504 million euros. "It is a high-speed competition to connect Lisbon and Porto on Iberian gauge," in an "absolute specificity" of the tender, but currently Talgo's high-speed trains "operate in Spain on international gauge and on Iberian gauge," said Ricardo Chocarro, in statements to Portuguese media in Madrid, including the Lusa agency. The CEO underlined that Talgo produces trains with "adaptation capacity" to different gauges, which circulate in Spain between tracks with different widths without the need to stop the trains or let passengers off, and that this is the technology they are proposing to Portugal. "The competition does not require it, the competition does not value it, but we believe that it is a great advantage for Portugal to have this variable gauge capacity, in case, in the future, the European gauge is adopted or in case they want, in the future, to operate in other contexts, in other markets. This is what we will put on the table in the Portuguese competition," said Ricardo Chocarro. The CEO underlined that Talgo has 25 years of experience with high-speed trains in Spain, a country with a similar context to Portugal, but there are specificities that must be met in the competition for Portugal, such as the need for the trains to operate on a gauge "not usual for high-speed" (the Iberian gauge). "Secondly, as these tracks [high-speed] are currently under construction, the train will have to circulate on high-speed tracks and, probably, also on tracks currently used for more regional transport," he added, saying that Talgo also has a "multi-gauge technology" developed. The competition launched by the CP provides for, in addition to the manufacturing of the trains, a maintenance service for two years, with Talgo planning to "develop local capacity, both for supply and for maintenance," namely, through the contracting and training of labor in Portugal, among other aspects, according to Ricardo Chocarro, who did not reveal figures related to the costs of the proposal the company will present to the CP or any investment. Talgo is a Spanish company founded in 1942 and, according to the company's own information, "specialized in the design, manufacture, and maintenance of high-speed and long-distance trains". The company currently has a backlog of orders of about 6.5 billion euros, in contracts for the production of trains and/or maintenance in various continents. Talgo is a predominantly private company with two public stakes, that of the Spanish State (7.9%) and the regional executive of the Basque Country (7.8%). The CP competition is for the purchase of 12 high-speed locomotives, respective parts of the rolling stock and special tools, as well as the option to acquire eight more locomotives. With a base price of 504 million euros, it also includes a full maintenance service to be carried out by the winner in the two years following the receipt of the first train. The next steps in the process are the presentation and analysis of proposals, followed by the decision. The competition schedule foresees the signing of the contract in the first quarter of 2027, and the first train must be delivered in the first three months of 2031.