The Ministry of Transport is trying to quell the anger of the Principality and Cantabrian governments for “Fevemocho”. After apologies, the dismissal of (two second-ranking executives) and promises to prioritize the metric measure network (formerly Feve), the Ministry resolved in ten days the administrative procedure it had failed to resolve in two years. Blocking the production of 31 metric track trains ordered from CAF in June 2020. The new standard is already ready and will be published in the “Official State Gazette” (BOE) today.
Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez, along with the heads of the Principality (Adrián Barbón) and Cantabria (Miguel Ángel Revilla), had promised to speed up the approval of the ministerial order to the “maximum level”, which would provide legal scope for implementation. An exception is when indicators (maximum dimensions of wagons to guarantee safe passage of trains through tunnels) are applied to convoys with metric measures. In principle, the Ministry’s “deadline” for approving the ministry’s order was March 15, but the Minister’s pressure bore fruit and the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) tasked with preparing it has already taken action. document is complete.
larger convoys
Raquel Sánchez sees one of the goals she set for herself come true: to approve the ministerial order before Monday’s summit with Barbón and Revilla. The new standard will allow the application of the “comparative method”, which will make it possible for future trains to have dimensions similar to the largest trains currently operating on the Feve lines. The ministry, Renfe and CAF argue that the order is necessary as current regulations require greater distance to the sides and roofs of tunnels for newly built trains than those currently in service.
Because some Feve tunnels are very narrow, new units will need to be much smaller than existing ones. However, Adif sources do not accept and confirm that the comparative method can be applied in Spain without the need for a new ministerial order, as it is included in European regulations.
As LA NUEVA ESPAÑA of the Prensa Ibérica group explains, the trains whose dimensions should “imitate” the CAF are the 3600 series trains that have been running on four Asturias lines for almost a quarter of a century. These are also the ones chosen by Renfe to produce the prototype of the future hydrogen train.
The official dossier of Renfe’s 3600 series trains details the width of the box (2,569 millimeters) and the height of the roof above the track (3,760 millimeters). Working with a supply voltage of 1,500 volts, these convoys have a nominal power of 570 horsepower and a continuous power of 285 horsepower at 1,950 revolutions per minute. Each unit weighs 56.5 tons, has a length of 35.3 meters between stops, has a Siemens motor and has a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour.