IT has been a tough few weeks, however Spain’s beleaguered rail business 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 an announcement, Talgo mentioned the settlement additionally covers upkeep for the trains and would add €1.33 billion to its order backlog, bringing it to a report complete of almost €6 billion.
The brand new trains will likely 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 practice will function at a most velocity of 300km/h and can encompass two energy vehicles and 13 passenger coaches, providing a complete capability of 417 seats.
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Essential settlement with Saudi Arabia. We assure the continuity of @Renfe as supervisor of the Saudi excessive velocity till 2038 and the acquisition of 20 new trains from @TalgoGroup with an injection of greater than €2,800 M for our firms.
An vital present of confidence in our… pic.twitter.com/fCAMvMph3n
— Óscar Puente (@oscar_puente_) February 8, 2026
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 nationwide 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 individuals had been killed in Santiago de Compostela in 2013.
Some 46 individuals had been killed and lots of 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 practice destined for Huelva.
A preliminary report revealed by the rail accident investigation fee prompt that the crash was brought on by a 30cm fracture within the observe.
READ MORE: Spain loses religion in as soon as world-beating practice community after string of incidents, disasters, and driver strikes over security
Two days later, a practice driver was killed and over 40 passengers harm on Barcelona’s Rodalies community after a R4 line service got here off the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadumi.
The practice derailed after colliding with a retaining wall that collapsed onto the road following a spell of heavy rain.
Two days later, six individuals had been injured in Cartagena, Murcia after a passenger practice collided with a crane arm that swung onto the observe.
The spate of accidents have raised pressing questions in regards to the state of infrastructure on Spain’s rail community – typically hailed as one in all Europe’s finest – and intensified strain on authorities figures together with Puente and prime minister Pedro Sanchez.
On Monday, greater than 330 high-speed companies had been cancelled after Semaf, the practice 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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