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IT has been a tough few weeks, however Spain’s beleaguered rail trade lastly has one thing to cheer about.
Saudi Arabia has struck a multi-billion-euro deal to buy 20 new high-speed trains from Spanish locomotive producer Talgo, the corporate introduced on Sunday.
In a press release, Talgo stated the settlement additionally covers upkeep for the trains and would add €1.33 billion to its order backlog, bringing it to a file complete of practically €6 billion.
The brand new trains will probably be equipped to Saudi Arabia Railways and can function on a high-speed line connecting main cities together with Mecca, Medina and Jeddah which has used Talgo rolling inventory since 2018.
Every new prepare will function at a most velocity of 300km/h and can include two energy automobiles and 13 passenger coaches, providing a complete capability of 417 seats.
READ MORE: Prepare journey returns to regular in Spain at present after unions attain deal to cancel strikes sparked by security considerations
The settlement was hailed as an ‘vital settlement’ by under-fire transport minister Oscar Puente on social media.
He wrote on X: “We assure the continuity of Renfe [Spain’s national rail operator] as supervisor of Saudi high-speed rail till 2038 and the acquisition of 20 new trains from Talgo with an injection of greater than €2.8 billion for our firms.
“An vital demonstration of confidence in our railway mannequin.”
The deal represents a much-needed increase of confidence for a sector rocked by a string of deadly accidents final month.
On 18 January, two high-speed trains derailed in Adamuz, Cordoba in Spain’s deadliest rail accident since 80 folks have been killed in Santiago de Compostela in 2013.
Some 46 folks have been killed and a whole lot injured after the rear carriages on a Madrid-bound Iryo service carrying over 300 passengers flipped onto an adjoining line and collided with an oncoming prepare destined for Huelva.
A preliminary report revealed by the rail accident investigation fee advised that the crash was attributable to a 30cm fracture within the monitor.
READ MORE: Spain loses religion in as soon as world-beating prepare community after string of incidents, disasters, and driver strikes over security
Two days later, a prepare driver was killed and over 40 passengers damage on Barcelona’s Rodalies community after a R4 line service got here off the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadumi.
The prepare derailed after colliding with a retaining wall that collapsed onto the road following a spell of heavy rain.
Two days later, six folks have been injured in Cartagena, Murcia after a passenger prepare collided with a crane arm that swung onto the monitor.
The spate of accidents have raised pressing questions in regards to the state of infrastructure on Spain’s rail community – typically hailed as one among Europe’s finest – and intensified stress on authorities figures together with Puente and prime minister Pedro Sanchez.
On Monday, greater than 330 high-speed companies have been cancelled after Semaf, the prepare drivers’ union, led a walkout in protest at what it slammed as ‘the fixed deterioration of the rail community’.
However the three-day nationwide strike got here to an finish two days early after commerce union leaders and representatives from the transport ministry lastly thrashed out a deal on the fourth try.
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