The emergence of new rivals to the former Renfe monopoly has caused a historic commercial shakeup in the major high-speed rail business in Spain. liberalization of the railway Ha Average ticket prices have fallen, train supply has increased rapidly and passenger numbers have increased rapidly In large train corridors, the old airplane tradition is being put to an end.
The Renfe state group has faced direct competition since 2021, first from Ouigo, owned by the French public company SNCF, and then from Iryo, also controlled by the state-owned Italian company Trenitalia (45%) and the Spanish companies Air Nostrum. (31% and Globalvía (24%) from 2022). Both companies dominated by foreign groups entered In the main corridors of Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Levante and Madrid-SurThe best and most attractive on the Spanish market.
The opportunities new competitors have found to enter the Spanish market thanks to liberalization are not matched by Renfe’s plans to strongly promote its high-speed arrival in France. And this Renfe has already suffered a major delay in its goal to start operating the Barcelona-Paris route and faced with what they see as something administrative slowness by the French authorities, which created unrest in the Spanish railway industry and also led the Spanish Government to demand equal conditions from the French Administration.
Renfe, Paris’ goal
For a decade and until the end of 2022, the Barcelona-Paris link was operated jointly by Renfe and SNCF through a company with equal control (Ellipsos), but the French group broke the alliance and set out to operate it alone. Since then, Renfe has been trying to launch his own Barcelona-Paris route to compete with his former partner. It has failed ever since. And all this time this feeling Complaint arising from imbalance between Ouigo’s ease of landing in Spain (almost three years ago) and the bureaucratic difficulties encountered in launching the route to the French capital.
Madrid complains that it cannot find the regulatory and bureaucratic possibilities through which the Spanish company Ouigo enters the Spanish high-speed market
Renfe started its activities in the French market last summer with the launch of the Barcelona-Lyon and Madrid-Barcelona-Marseille routes, but its main goal is to make a real debut in the French high-speed sector with the Barcelona-Paris connection. In principle, the Spanish company pursues its goal of owning The route will be operational next July Olympic Games It will be held in Paris. However, the group is aware that it has no guarantee that it will be able to fulfill its claim, as it does not yet have all the permits and does not know when it will receive them, and it is not excluded that further delays will accumulate in the launch of the project. route.
Demand equal treatment
“If Renfe goes to work outside of Spain, including our neighboring country where Ouigo comes from, I would like them to have the same facility they have to work in here. I wish we could get to Paris as soon as possible, let’s hope we can achieve that. So far we haven’t been able to do this”, Transport Minister Óscar Puente emphasized a few days ago. “I want our company Renfe to operate under the same conditions as Ouigo does in Spain.”
The Spanish Government emphasizes that the French administration insists that the environment for railway liberalization must be unequivocally supported. “The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has repeatedly conveyed to the French Government the importance and benefits for Renfe citizens of the French railway operator being able to operate on the Paris-Lyon route under the same conditions as those under which it serves in our country. , inside A competitive railway market“, official sources confirm to El Periódico de España of the Prensa Ibérica group, confirming that the aim is to keep up the pressure until the goal is achieved. “Undoubtedly, Minister Óscar Puente will take advantage of future meetings with the French government and its representatives in Spain to reiterate the message.”
‘OK’ for Talgo trains
After several previous clashes (due to Spain’s complaints with the European Commission and French competition authorities), the French Government committed at the last Spain-France bilateral summit in January 2023 to facilitate Renfe operating the route with Paris before the end of last year. year, facilitate train homologation processes Which Renfe plans to use in the French market. Certification of convoys that have not yet been received and do not have a specific deadline. Until the trains are approved, Renfe cannot obtain the necessary safety certificate for the connection to Paris.
Renfe initially activated the certification process by operating in France with S-100 model trains specially produced by the French group Alstom, assuming that it would facilitate the procedures. However, French officials They rejected the approval of the high-speed train line with Paris. Renfe is now waiting for the Spanish company Talgo to receive the certification of the S-106 model (the famous Avril, which also experienced long delays) in order to use it on the Barcelona-Paris line.
The main problem the Talgo-Renfe duo faced in obtaining permission to operate in Paris was Incomplete deployment of the European rail traffic management system (ERTMS) on the French network. A delay in deployment that gives a competitive advantage to the public SNFC, which has access to fixed technology on French lines and the authority to approve its use by other operators.
Source: Informacion
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