In Spain's high-speed rail network, high-speed trains shuttle back and forth, and a "battle" for future high-speed rail upgrades has quietly begun - the Spanish National Railway Company has officially launched the procurement bidding for 30 new high-speed trains, opening the curtain for the update of high-speed rail equipment.

Recently, the bidding process for Renfe to purchase 30 new high-speed trains has officially begun after obtaining approval from the company's board of directors. On April 1, 2026, the bidding announcement was simultaneously published on the Spanish Public Procurement Portal and the Official Journal of the European Union. The quotation only accounted for 30% of the score, and the bidding deadline was set for June 9, 2026.

Core parameters of the train

At present, apart from the announced bidding announcement, there have been no further details disclosed about this batch of future trains: their maximum speed can reach 350 kilometers per hour, they use a fixed gauge of 1435 millimeters, each train is equipped with at least 450 seats, and will be equipped with digital ASFA system and ERTMS Level 2 system.

Core requirements for bidding

The first batch of tender orders includes 30 trains with a basic budget of 1.362 billion euros, while reserving the option to purchase an additional 10 trains. Bidders are required to submit their quotations before June 9, 2026. Compared to other bidding projects, this deadline is particularly tight, and the public bid opening is scheduled for September 9, 2026. In the allocation of scoring weights, financial solutions account for only 30%, technical solutions account for the highest proportion, reaching 49%, and the remaining 21% comes from qualitative criteria evaluated through value judgments. This allocation method ensures the selection of the technically optimal train plan, but also reduces the competitiveness of bidders with prominent price advantages. The delivery time requirements are equally strict: the first batch of 5 trains must be delivered within 40 months after the contract is awarded, followed by regular deliveries every six weeks until all deliveries are completed in the 78th month. Although the Spanish Minister of Transport stated during his visit to China in December 2025 that CRRC's production speed qualifies it for competition, the actual bidding conditions are extremely demanding on bidders.

Strict certification threshold

For manufacturers without a mature European certification system, the certification process may require up to two years of testing on the infrastructure of the European continent, making it difficult for them to meet the 40 month delivery and certification threshold from the beginning. If the train needs to be approved for use in multiple EU member states, additional approval from ERA is required. At present, CRRC has not yet obtained ERA type certification for high-speed trains. If CRRC wants to put the certified 350 km/h high-speed train into operation in Spain within 40 months after the contract is signed, it must complete a series of regulatory processes, which have taken many years for established European manufacturers to complete. Keywords: Spain, high-speed rail, bidding

Hitachi, a joint venture between Italy and Japan, as well as Siemens Mobility, participated as the leaders in this competition. The trains produced by these two companies have obtained certifications from multiple countries, meeting Renfe's strict delivery time requirements, and their trains can reach a speed standard of 360 kilometers per hour.Editor/Gong Ziwei