RENFE

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(Redirected from Renfe)

RENFE (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles; Spanish National Railway Network) is Spain's national railway operator.

RENFE operates Spain's 15,000 km (or 9,500 mile) system of railways. For historical reasons the tracks built up to 1988 are broad gauge tracks (1668 mm or 5 ft 5½ in), which is wider than the tracks of most other European countries. Spain is a country with many mountain ranges. Because of this, a commission estimated that a gauge wider than the European one would allow bigger steam engines, which would make easier the ascent of the slopes. A few years later this technical problem was solved, but the huge cost of a possible change of the tracks and the rolling stock to the European gauge left the Spanish network rather isolated from the rest of Western Europe, except for Portugal, which adopted the Spanish gauge. Certain through trains do run to and from France: they adjust the separation of their wheels at the frontier, so that they can run on both railway systems.

The company was formed on 24 January 1941 when Spain's railways were nationalized.

In addition to intercity transport, RENFE operates commuter train systems in a number of major cities, including Madrid and Barcelona. The former was targeted in the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings. In the latter it is supplemented by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalonia's rail system.

In 1988 construction of the high-speed rail between Madrid and Seville began, and in 1991 operation of this line was started. The second high-speed rail, from Madrid to Barcelona, is under construction. The greater part of the line, from Madrid to Lleida, was put in service on October 11, 2003, with connection to Huesca from Zaragoza; the extension to Barcelona is expected to open in 2007. The last high-speed line opened is Madrid - Toledo, in November 2005. Another high speed route from Madrid to Valladolid is under construction, and other lines to Valencia and Lisbon are being designed. The route Madrid-Galicia is under construction between Madrid and Valladolid and between the major Galician cities.

The Spanish high-speed system is called AVE. The name is both an acronym of Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High Speed) and a play on the Spanish word ave ( "bird").

The high-speed lines are built to the standard European gauge. Speed on the Seville line is 300 km/h. The line to Lleida is slower at present, though there are plans for eventual operation at 350 km/h on this route.

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Reorganization

The Railway Sector Act of 2003 separated the management, maintenance, and construction of rail infrastructure from train operation. The first activity is now the responsibility of a new public company, Administrador de Infrestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF), while Renfe (full name: Renfe Operadora) owns the rolling-stock and remains responsible for the planning, marketing, and operation of passenger and freight services (though no longer with a legal monopoly).

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