Final Approval Expected Within Weeks
The new Rodalies de Catalunya trains manufactured by Alstom in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda are on the verge of receiving final approval from the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF), marking the end of a years-long homologation process. Technical corrections to design flaws have been completed and validation tests on the Maresme line finished, with only the agency’s formal signature remaining. Industry sources confirm the technical work is fully completed and a definitive green light has been secured, pending only bureaucratic procedures. According to reporting from the Innotrans rail fair in Berlin, the approval is expected within the coming weeks and no later than early November 2026.
Deliveries to Begin Before Year-End
Once approved, Alstom will begin delivering the first trains to Renfe. The French manufacturer has committed to having 16 units ready by the end of 2026. The first two trains left the factory in June 2026, and five more are currently stationed at the Santa Perpètua plant, awaiting transfer to Renfe’s workshops in Vilanova. The remaining units are undergoing final assembly, including the coupling of single and double-decker carriages. Each new train will have a capacity of 905 passengers and features wider doors and carriages than current models, increasing network capacity by 20% and improving boarding and alighting times.
"Once they are approved, we will have to agree with Renfe when they come into service and how to train the drivers," said Andrew DeLeone, President of Alstom in Europe.
Despite nearing delivery, the exact date for passenger service has not yet been confirmed. The rollout is expected during the first quarter of 2027, pending coordination between Alstom and Renfe on driver training and operational planning. A total of nearly 200 new trains are planned for the Rodalies network under a €858 million investment by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Sustainable Development, announced in December 2022.
Primary sources: Exclama!, rodalies.gencat.cat, transportes.gob.es, cdn.transportes.gob.es, renfe.com, grupo.renfe.com. Reported by metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, barcelonapress.com, lavanguardia.com, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life.
