On June 23, 2021, the first RENFE AVLO low-cost high-speed trains
entered service, launching operations with four daily services
between Madrid and Barcelona and tickets starting at €7 per
journey, sharing the line with their first competitor, Ouigo,
operated by the French SNCF. Although AVLO was originally scheduled
to begin service on April 6, 2020, its launch had to be postponed
due to the COVID-19 health crisis. It was finally introduced after
the end of the state of emergency, with more than 60,000 tickets
sold for the first three weeks. Ouigo, for its part, began
operations on May 10, 2021, with ten daily services. The third
private operator, IRYO, started running on November 21, 2022, with
an inaugural journey between Madrid-Chamartín and Valencia-Joaquín
Sorolla stations. The first AVLO train departed from
Figueres-Vilafant station at 05:35 bound for Madrid-Puerta de
Atocha. In the opposite direction, the first train left
Madrid-Puerta de Atocha at 06:20 heading to Barcelona-Sants. The
train is marketed exclusively in standard (tourist) class, which
includes one piece of cabin luggage plus a handbag or backpack free
of charge. Passengers may also add optional services such as seat
selection, ticket changes or cancellations, and additional baggage.
Children under 14 benefit from a basic fare of €5 when travelling
with an adult ticket, and discounts are also available for large
families. RENFE initially converted five Series 112 trainsets to
operate the new service, increasing passenger capacity to 438 seats
per train—around 20% more than the original units of that series.
The fleet was later expanded to eight Series 112 units, and Series
106 trains were also introduced, including eighteen fixed-gauge and
ten variable-gauge units. To form a complete model train, the
extension sets HE3001, HE3002, and HE3003 are available, each
including three coaches. Set HE3002 includes a PRM (Persons with
Reduced Mobility) coach featuring a newly designed body shell
specific to this train.
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