Renfe has announced that it will ask Talgo for financial compensation for the “serious technical incidents” that the new Avril trains (S106) have been experiencing since they were launched on Spanish tracks last May and after years of delays in their delivery.
Specifically, an Avlo train travelling from Valencia Joaquín Sorolla to Madrid Chamartín Clara Campoamor suffered a breakdown in the power supply system at the entrance to Chamartín station on Monday.
This incident, which affected the 494 passengers on board who were without electricity for more than two hours on the train, caused some passengers to break the windows due to the excessive heat they were experiencing.
“Renfe regrets and apologizes to all its passengers for the situation experienced yesterday,” the public company said in a statement.
This new breakdown is added to the increase in technical incidents on the S106 trains, which is why Renfe is considering taking action for contractual and non-contractual liability against Talgo.
At the moment, Renfe is quantifying the reputational damage and compensation to passengers that the company is suffering due to the situation arising from the repeated incidents with these Avril trains.
Renfe maintains that it has already repeatedly requested an immediate solution from both the management and the shareholders of Talgo to these incidents, which have been occurring since the first day of train circulation, on May 21.
These compensations would be added to the compensation of more than 167 million euros that Renfe has already requested from Talgo for the continuous delays in the delivery of the Avril trains.
In this regard, Renfe’s technical teams are analysing and preparing a reliability report on the overall operation of the Talgo 106 series, with the aim of taking appropriate operational adjustment measures in response to incidents that have occurred since its launch.
“Additionally, the announced measures will entail the initiation of all necessary legal actions to compensate Renfe for damages and losses due to the delay in the delivery of the Series 106, reserving the right to initiate as many actions as necessary against the Talgo group to defend its rights, its reputation and the rights of its users,” it warns.
