Flix awards Talgo a €2.4 bn contract for the supply and maintenance of up to 65 European high-speed trains
The contract includes the maintenance of all units during 15 years.
www.talgo.com
Germany-based transport giant Flix has awarded Talgo a c.€2.4 billion contract for the supply of up to 65 European high-speed trains based upon the Talgo 230 product platform, with an initial firm order of 30 units worth near €1,060 million. The push-pull trains will boast full accessibility at platform level and a high level of systems digitisation. The contract also includes the maintenance of all units during a 15-year period.
The train manufacturer was selected after an open competitive process including other top-tier global train constructors and following a months-long period in which a joint task force with personnel from both companies undertook the necessary preliminary works to prepare for the final project specifications.
Under the signed contract, the Talgo 230 push-pull trains will be supplied without locomotives (to be constructed by a third party), with each unit to be composed by an end-coach with driving cabin, a variable number of intermediate high-capacity passenger seating coaches, including one for PRMs, and an end-coach to be used as the interface with the locomotive.
The trains are designed to be operated across Europe, initially prepared for Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, with full interoperability allowing seamless cross-border operations.
High-tech maintenance
Following a decades-long process of digitalisation, Spain-based Talgo has developed a set of technologies and processes which will help to streamline the maintenance of the Flix fleet. Those smart systems include the automated use of thousands of live sensors which remotely transmit up to 2GB of plain text per train per day to the cloud. Using AI models, the Talgo remote-operated service desk will ensure the highest reliability while minimizing depot turnaround times.
Talgo president Carlos Palacio said: “Talgo is keen to entering into a partnership with a transport giant like Flix. Talgo 230 is the best solution to improve passenger mobility across Europe in the intercity rail passenger market and we are delighted that our company is contributing with this new product iteration to the common goal of shifting traffic from the road and air modes and to a fair and rapid energy transition”.
Flix CEO and co-founder André Schwämmlein: “We are pursuing a long-term strategy with FlixTrain and we will significantly expand our services in the coming years. With the tremendous expansion of our train fleet we will start a new era of train travel in Germany and Europe. We do not only plan to increase our market share, but also to increase the market itself significantly”.
With this strategic move, FlixTrain is responding to the growing demand for fast and affordable rail travel. The company intends to use the new high-speed trains to leverage the enormous market potential in Germany and Europe. The high-speed rail market in Germany is expected to grow by 45% until 2030, compared to 2021 volume. Across Europe, the market potential is even greater – around EUR 27 bn in 2023 with an expected annual growth of 4 – 5%. [Source: OC&C Long-distance Travel Market Study 2023]. In 2024 alone, FlixTrain expanded its offer by 40%, and recorded significant passenger growth, building on the strong results of 2023.
About Talgo 230
The Talgo 230 platform is based on the same technology that has made the Spanish train manufacturer’s intercity trains an international reference, with projects underway in Spain, Germany, Denmark and Egypt. Talgo 230 trains are lightweight, high-speed vehicles with independently rotating, self-guided wheelsets that maximise capacity and can be fitted with natural tilting and/or automatic gauge changing systems.
www.talgo.com
