SPAIN: Infrastructure manager Adif has ordered a €14.1m track inspection railcar from MerMec España for used on the metre gauge network in the country’s north.
The contract with MerMec España, the Spanish arm of the Italian brand, covers the supply of the custom designed 80 km/h railcar, the installation of safety, communications and monitoring systems and the provision of five years of comprehensive maintenance.
According to Adif, the railcar will be fitted with track geometry and catenary measurement equipment, track dynamics measurement systems, odometry equipment and a vision system in the cab. It will also include optical track inspection equipment and pre-installation for a T-Sight clearance measurement system, used to measure whether trains and infrastructure can safely fit within the available clearance envelope.
However, the railcar won’t be deployed until the next decade, with Adif telling Railway Gazette International that the manufacturing lead time for the vehicle will be eight years.
A widening fleet
Adif currently has six operational inspection trains for its conventional and standard-gauge networks.
That includes three Stadler track and overhead line inspection trains, acquired for €79.8m, two of which are for the country’s Iberian gauge lines and the other for standard gauge lines. There is also one Seneca inspection train, with electric traction and standard-gauge capability, and two variable-gauge diesel BT inspection trains.
Two more units are now set to join the team alongside the latest purchase.
A €47.3m Talgo 106 track inspection train is currently undergoing approval and is expected to enter service by the end of 2026. The unit will be able to operate on both the Iberian and standard gauge networks, reaching maximum speeds of 300 km/h on Iberian gauge lines and 330 km/h on standard gauge lines.
A further €21m has been spent on a CAF inspection unit for standard gauge tracks, which will be able to operate at 300 km/h. The unit is currently under development and undergoing an upgrade of its onboard signalling and communications equipment, after which it will be delivered to Adif for testing on lines where ERTMS will be implemented.
Tender for hopper cars
Separately, the infrastructure manager has also tendered a €2.2m contract for the maintenance of 66 wagons used to carry equipment for preventive and corrective maintenance of overhead contact line and track installations.
The contract covers preventive, corrective and related technical maintenance of 20 hopper wagons for the metre gauge network, and 46 Iberian gauge platform wagons.