IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

INSIDETALGO
UK market ambitions n Plans for Scottish factory n Attracting and nurturing talent
n Technology and innovation centre n Very High Speed Trains for the UK
 Meet Avril
Quiet, Clean, Livable Mobility.

TALGO.

Welcome CONTENTS

T
algo moving to the UK is not a
move being made through nostalgia
or for the love of the country - the
creation of two sites here is vital to
much as possible) the materials needed to
construct the various products - and where
this is not possible, we will encourage new
suppliers.
40 Ambitions
Talgo is not just here for
high-speed rail - it wants
to become firmly established in the UK.

44
the growth of the business. Likewise, Talgo has a lasting commitment
In Spain there are two factories - one in to training staff, and offering apprenticeships. Longannet
Rivabellosa (in the Basque Region) and the These offer people the opportunities to work Talgo reveals the full extent
other at the headquarters in Las Matas (near on major global projects, to learn new and of its plans for two UK sites
Madrid). vital engineering skills, and to work for a as Longannet continues to progress.
These facilities play vital roles in the business that truly believes in innovation.

46
company’s global expansion. And recent Talgo will also seek to retrain or upskill
contract wins for 100 new trains for Germany people with transferable skills, as the job Talent factory
as well as new trains for Denmark and Egypt market changes. How Talgo plans to
show that Talgo is well-placed to bid for, and The Training Research and Development introduce a cultural ethos
win, major international deals. Centre that will be constructed near to attract the UK’s best talent.
However, the Spanish sites will soon be at Chesterfield is a further testament to Talgo’s

48
full capacity, and that is where the UK comes desire to create a true footprint in the UK.
in. There is a belief that Britain is perfectly Working with UK businesses and education Chesterfield
positioned to serve many markets across centres, we will look to carry out research at Talgo’s plans to open an
the globe, including the Americas, Africa the site, not only for ourselves, but for the rail ‘Innovation Centre’ for
and Australasia, as well as closer to home in industry in general. training, research and development.
Ireland, Europe and, of course, the UK. Please remember that Talgo is not just

50
The political uncertainty over Brexit and here for high-speed rail, but for many other
leaving the European Union does not affect projects. Our portfolio is wide and we hope
Innovativon
Innovation underpins
the decision because many of the deals could to be able to import our expertise to the UK,
be with non-EU countries. while exporting new trains Talgo’s bid to develop a
Another factor that removes the threat from the UK to all corners high-speed train for the UK market.
of Brexit is that Talgo wants to create a of the globe.
supply chain in the UK and to carry out true Talgo, we hope, is
manufacturing. here to stay. EDITORIAL
We do not believe in assembling trains Managing Editor: Nigel Harris
from overseas kits of parts; rather we intend Carlos Palacio Oriol Head of News: Richard Clinnick
to use the local supply chain to provide (as President, Talgo Features Editor: Paul Stephen
Production Editor: Mike Wright
Art Editor: Charles Wrigley
Sub-Editor: Richard Hampson
Managing Director: Tim Lucas

ADVERTISING
Account Director: Julie Howard

www.talgo.com

3
SPANISH Engineers at work in Talgo’s
Rivabellosa site in northern Spain.
The company says that when it
moves to the UK, it will

AMBITIONS
manufacture trains here rather
than assemble. TALGO.

Talgo isn’t just looking at the UK as a place

for ‘True Manufacturing’ - the company
wants to help develop UK manufacturing
regardless of Brexit

T
algo may be a new name on the block The company also exports, with an
when it comes to manufacturing industrial presence in 28 countries – a figure
trains in the UK, but the company set to rise. Currently, the company’s fast,
has an established history dating lightweight products can be found in Spain,
back to 1942. Germany, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia,
Even before then, its founders were looking Saudi Arabia and the United States. Talgo has
at ways to innovate, having witnessed a already won deals this year to supply trains
mail train accident. This led them to offer for Egypt and Uzbekistan, as well as an order
articulation and no axles, but it took a lot for 100 locomotive-hauled trains for Deutsche
of work to convince the Spanish railway Bahn in Germany. Now it wants to add the UK
authorities that this was a reliable method. to that list.
Once it was proven, and awards were won, Within Spain, Talgo is completing the first of
the company grew from strength to strength. the new AVRIL trains it’s building for operator
In its home country of Spain, passengers are Renfe. These trains took about ten years to
known to say they are catching “the Talgo” develop, and with construction starting last
when they discuss using the train – has that year, the first sets will enter traffic next year.
ever been heard here? Brand names, perhaps, But what does Talgo actually do?
but not the actual manufacturer. Well, it manufactures, exports and maintains
And there is a good reason for that. The trains, machine tools and maintenance
company delivers what it sets out to do. Its equipment.
highly skilled workforce produces various And it doesn’t just support its own trains
trains, from very high speed to commuter - it can support trains made by any other
products which operate across the Iberian manufacturer, which it does in Germany and
Peninsula. elsewhere. Talgo has also made no secret that it

would be interested in similar work in the UK. UK market has matured, it has become better owned by a UK-listed private equity fund competitions, including East Midlands and
Talgo is actually an acronym for Tren aligned with Talgo’s high-reliability/cost- that works on behalf of UK pension funds. the West Coast Partnership. The company
Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol efficient approach. The implicit requirement However, the largest percentage (53%) says it can provide solutions for most of the
(Goicoechea-Oriol light articulated train). for greater UK content also suits Talgo’s is owned by private investors, including UK’s rail needs and has been discussing
Alejandro Goicoechea and José Luis Oriol manufacturing philosophy.” employees of the company and members of various possibilities with financiers, operators
were the founders of the company, and even It cites the Department for Transport’s the founding family. and regulatory bodies.
today family members retain a controlling Rolling Stock Strategy and the need for It’s well known that HS2 features in When Longannet opens, Talgo aims to
interest in the business, despite its worldwide thousands of extra vehicles for its arrival in Talgo’s plans. However, that is not the key employ some 1,000 staff, adding 50% to its
expansion. the UK, and its commitment to expanding the reason for locating to the UK. As well as current worldwide team of 2,000. The Scottish
But why does it want to come to the UK? UK’s manufacturing base. being a shortlisted bidder for that contract, site would be its third factory, following Las
Announcing its Longannet factory plans Despite being a Spanish firm, Talgo is 35% Talgo has also been active in other franchise Matas, near Madrid, and Rivabellosa (Alava),
last November, the company said in a both in Spain. The former is the company’s
statement that: “the emerging UK market headquarters and where high-speed trains
has requirements that Talgo can satisfy at the
technical, economic, operator, and ‘passenger
We want to help to expand capacity and maintenance equipment is manufactured,
while the latter is where tilting passenger
needs’ levels. At the same time, Talgo can and capability, to grow the potential coaches are manufactured.
provide better value to the UK taxpayer.” It also manages a factory in Astana
Inside a Talgo coach body during construction at Rivabellosa. The site in northern Spain is similar to It admits it has taken a long time to come of UK manufacturing. (Kazakhstan) that assembles components
how the company’s Longannet factory will operate. TALGO. to the UK, but said last November: “as the Jon Veitch, UK Director, Talgo for tilting vehicles that have been built in

4 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 5

 that this process will run smoothly.
The plans discussed with Transport
Scotland don’t just concern the factory but the
reinstatement of the passenger line, which
would connect with an electrified passenger
railway some 12 miles away. This would enable
new stations at Kincardine and Longannet, and
a direct train to Stirling and Alloa. Veitch said
that the expectation was for the line to be ready
before the first trains leave the factory.
He added that while framework agreements
have been signed for various train deals,
nothing had yet been confirmed for Longannet.
However, Veitch remains confident that things
will change in the near future.
He explains that the Scottish Government
is attracted to the plans as it offers inward
investment in Scotland and that during
discussions money has not been mentioned.
“Grants are not in our interest, and Brexit
doesn’t affect anything,” he says, before adding:
“We are working on being contract-ready.
We need to be in a position whereby when a Talgo plays a key part in the Spanish high-
contract is awarded, construction of the site can speed network, with more than 50% of the
start the next day.” Veitch says that with regards country’s HS operations using Talgo trains. On
to train manufacture he very much hopes that April 1, a Talgo S112 stands at Valencia, having
Construction of a roof panel at Rivabellosa. This will be for an Avril ES high speed train. Further it will begin before 2023. It is anticipated that arrived from Madrid Atocha. RICHARD CLINNICK.
significant contract wins could result in Longannet playing a pivotal role in Talgo’s future. TALGO. construction of the factory would take around

Rivabellosa and then supplied to the local Construction of an AVRIL ES

operator.
The company also undertakes the majority
power head at Las Matas on
April 1. These trains were in
From the semi-skilled to the
of its maintenance activity at other plants development for more than a
decade, and the first sets
finest technical minds, there will be
- owned by each client - which are usually
located in the country where the trains enter traffic next year.
RICHARD CLINNICK.
opportunities at Talgo UK.
operate. Jon Veitch, UK Director, Talgo
But why Longannet? At the time of the
announcement, the company said it was in 18 months. Talgo’s plans are not affected by the UK’s
a region that: “has all of the ingredients; Key to the plans is manufacturing in the UK. decision to leave the European Union on
connectivity, space to develop, a skilled local At every point the company has been keen to October 31. While there are plans for up to ten
workforce, access to colleges and universities, stress that “we also want to help to expand free ports around the country, the Spanish firm
and great relationships with other industry capacity and capability, to grow the potential is adamant that it was always coming to these
and the supply chain. It is a ‘brown field’ of UK manufacturing. The Innovation Centre shores, and that with interest from non-EU
site, with the potential to recycle some of the is expected to play a major role in this”. (See countries as well as its UK supply chain plans it
existing facilities. The area is home to many pages 50-51). will be able to deliver a product without being
high-tech industries and its engineering This means that rather than assemble trains duly concerned by any financial impact Brexit
excellence is currently delivering the Royal from a kit of parts made elsewhere, where may have.
Navy’s most advanced ships.” possible the company will use locally sourced There has also been a positive impact in
Ports were a key part of the thinking behind content with an in-country supply chain. This terms of recruitment, with plans in place to
Longannet as these are immediately available is designed to not only protect and support jobs visit schools, colleges and universities to extol
and will be vital in the plans to export trains and skills within the UK but also to provide the virtues of the company and display its
overseas. It’s also possible that materials new opportunities for younger generations. innovation. It is working with the National
required during building could be delivered by Talgo emphasises that pre-series vehicles College of Rail with the aim of displaying one
sea, allowing the company to further reduce could be built in Spain. The rest would be UK of its vehicles complete with its unique ‘Rodal’
its carbon footprint. The former power station ‘domestic build’, keeping more money in the technology that offers lighter, lower energy
site also has its own jetty. UK economy and supporting the supply chain. trains that also cause less wear and tear to the
Potential markets for export currently being As for who the company wants to employ, tracks.
assessed include Ireland, the Americas (North it says: “From the semi-skilled to the finest It was back in 1988, some 31 years ago, that
Central and South), Africa and Oceania. technical minds, there will be opportunities at the Spanish government decided to investigate
The plan is for the site to be independent of Talgo UK. Talgo’s philosophy is to encourage high speed and to work with Talgo – neither
Spain, although it will take best practice from participation and improvement by employees has looked back.
both Las Matas and Rivabellosa. at all levels.” Now that opportunity for innovation is
Talgo UK Director Jon Veitch signed a Initially, the Innovation Centre near available to the UK. The company is keen
Framework Deal with Transport Scotland Chesterfield will be the focus for this, and that to invest not only in infrastructure, but in
and the Scottish Government on July 29 that will eventually work alongside Longannet to people and education, to create a legaccy that
means Longannet must be ‘shovel ready’ deliver the staff and opportunities. Currently, everyone can be proud of.
when the site changes hands. He explains the company has one full-time employee, but Talgo is about much more than merely
that Scottish Power, which used to operate this is likely to change very rapidly. bidding for HS2. Back in the 1930s, its founders
the now-mothballed site, have an obligation In Spain, the company’s staff is incredibly did not take no for answer when looking to
to prepare the land for construction work. loyal, citing excellent pay, conditions and offer innovative technical solutions. Eighty
A planning application for the factory was opportunities. Visiting UK Trade Unionists years later, could history be about to repeat
submitted on August 14, and it is expected have expressed approval of the culture. itself? ■

6 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 7

 LONG-TERM AT
Talgo’s future strategy. I want to congratulate
An aerial view of the Longannet Power Station site, which closed in Scottish Enterprise for bringing together a
March 2016. Passenger trains could return to the site if discussions wide-ranging team of industrialists, academics,
with Network Rail and Transport Scotland prove successful. TALGO.
politicians, civil servants and development
experts. Their efforts are a credit to Scotland.

LONGANNET
“However, our plans do not end in Scotland.
Linked to our ‘all Britain’ strategy, we intend to
create opportunity and harness skills across the
UK.”
Longannet was chosen because of
the proximity of rail, road and sea (both
Grangemouth and Rosyth ports are nearby).
The company is also attracted by the number of
skilled workers available in the area.
There is a plan to create what Talgo UK
Director Jon Veitch described as a ‘pipeline’ of
engineers and innovators.
The company intends to build trains for
other parts of the world - including Australia,
Africa and Canada, and the new facility would
measure around 70,000m2 and employ up to
1,000 people.
It would be built on the site of the former
power station that was decommissioned in
March 2016, and would be located in the area
around the coal yard and discharge loop.
Construction would start as soon as the first
contract is awarded. It’s expected to take around
18 months to build.
And through its competitive tendering process
for a site, Talgo built productive relationships
with various regions, including Wales,
Merseyside and the Midlands, and it aims to
develop those still further.
In addition to the factory, Talgo is developing
an ‘all Britain’ strategy aimed at protecting and
encouraging the UK supply chain, that can also
provide opportunities for young people while at
the same time growing the UK’s industrial base.
The strategy will seek to build on the significant
capabilities Talgo discovered that are available
in the UK during its 18-month search for a
factory location. ■

Talgo reveals more of its ambitions for the UK, and TWO SPANISH SITES Talgo has two factories in Spain that have so far
supplied 28 countries. On October 11 2017,
details of its plans for a new facility in Scotland NEAR FULL CAPACITY vehicles for Saudi Arabian Very High Speed
Trains stand in the yard at Talgo’s Las Matas
Talgo currently has two factories, headquarters, near Madrid. RICHARD CLINNICK.
both in Spain. The headquarters

I
n September 2017, Talgo revealed “We have developed excellent relationships Longannet was chosen because it has space near Madrid (Las Matas) is used for
exclusively to RAIL that it wanted to in all the places that we have visited. We to develop, access to colleges and universities, research and development, as well as
establish a manufacturing facility in the anticipate continuing these relationships to and is a ‘brownfield’ site. the construction of locomotives and
United Kingdom. ensure that Talgo provides great opportunities What’s more, a training research and power cars for high-speed trains and
But this wouldn’t be just an assembly facility, across the UK.” development site is planned near Chesterfield maintenance equipment.
this would be full manufacturing - or, as the The company recognises that the UK market that will serve other companies. The larger site at Rivabellosa, at
company defines it, ‘True Manufacturing’. has matured, so it has become better aligned Announcing the deal, Palacio Oriol said: the foot of the Basque region and
Other than pre-series trains, Talgo wants with Talgo’s high-reliability/cost-efficient “This has been a tremendously challenging around 90 miles from Bilbao, is used
products at the facility to be built using approach. mission for Talgo, and I have personally seen to build Very High Speed Train (VHST)
materials sourced in the UK. An exhaustive search resulted in the short- excellence in all corners of the UK. It has been coaches and other trains for around
In an exclusive interview, company listing of six sites, which was then whittled a difficult decision to make, as the quality has the world. This site opened in 1966.
president Carlos Palacio Oriol told RAIL: “The down to two. Longannet in Fife, Scotland, been so high in so many places. It was expanded in 2012 and again in
establishment of a manufacturing facility in was selected as the winner for the £40 million “The establishment of a manufacturing 2014. It also carries out refurbishment
the UK is a significant part of Talgo’s future development. facility at Longannet is a significant part of work.
strategy. The two Spanish sites are nearing
“Talgo’s aim is to establish true full capacity, according to the
manufacturing, as opposed to assembling
trains from parts made overseas. This means
Linked to our ‘all Britain’ strategy, company, with contracts for VHSTs for
Spanish and Saudi Arabian operators.
that we will be using materials and expertise we intend to create opportunity and They will both be used to deliver on
from across the UK. This keeps more money large, new contracts for the supply of
in the UK economy and creates more skilled harness skills across the UK. trains to Germany and Egypt.
long-term jobs. Carlos Palacio Oriol, President, Talgo

8 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 9

NURTURING CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY

TALENT
President Carlos de Palacio Oriol is keen
to highlight Talgo’s Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and how, in 2013,
the Talgo Foundation was created.
Says Oriol: “Social Responsibility is
no longer a matter of mere image, it is
a key tool, not only to succeed, be more
As well as a manufacturing capability, competitive or endure over time but to
collaborate in the best possible way to
Talgo aims to introduce a cultural ethos build a better society - one that’s more
human, fairer and more dignified.
that will attract the best the UK has to offer “Therefore, Talgo launched its
foundation at the end of 2013 with the
mission of becoming a national and

A
key goal of Talgo’s plans for the should always have a choice of work, but by international reference for the promotion
United Kingdom is to create more creating permanent incentives for staff Talgo of knowledge and research in innovation
opportunity and to create a lasting planned to ensure that they’d be able to work and railway technological development,
capacity not just for UK rail, but in an environment that values both their as well as an instrument for safety and
UK engineering and manufacturing. By contributions and ideas. social integration and culture. This
developing an ‘all Britain’ strategy, Talgo will But what attributes are required to be a true was done through strategic alliances,
seek to work with suppliers across the UK. Talgo team member? The company believes where possible, with organisations and
As well as a new factory at Longannet, the that this is achieved through a high level of institutions with which we felt we had
company intends to create a training research technical training, sound experience and something in common.”
and development site at Barrow Hill, near certification, as well as outstanding innovation
Chesterfield. and creative capabilities.
Both will rely heavily not only on the Cultural diversity is also key to Talgo’s considered that professional competence was
local workforce, but also on colleges and success. It’s often seen merely as an ‘add on’ the most important thing.”
universities across the UK. Talgo is looking in some organisations, but Talgo believes it She was able to break down the barriers
to recruit young people and reskill others, enhances its international reputation, and that that existed in Saudi Arabia by consistently
providing opportunities to work across the “great ideas do not only come from Spain.” delivering the work as planned, although she is
globe using the skills learned on the job that It believes that by encouraging creativity keen to point out that while there were perhaps
can be transferred to many disciplines within through diverse input and ideas the company doubts expressed by others outside Talgo
the train construction and maintenance world. will be able to deliver the very best that the regarding her role, she did not experience any
All too often, management phrases such world can offer. And that thinking is key to prejudice.
as ‘human capital’ and ‘human resources’ the establishment of facilities here in the UK. Moral is a leader not only in her field, but
are used to describe the core strength of any Linking these with UK educational centres Staff work on a new Talgo coach at the also a role model in wider society. When she
business - forgetting that ‘people’ might be will mirror the company’s activity in Madrid, company’s Rivabellosa factory in northern was studying in the mid-1990s, few other
Spain. The company will pay for staff to
a more appropriate and human description. where the company works with the Spanish women were on engineering courses. Fast-
continue their education even after they
Talgo values its people for what they are and capital’s college and university on training qualify in their chosen field. TALGO. forward a decade and the numbers had risen.
what they can become. schemes designed to develop the very best in Currently, in Spain, some 23% of women are
Talgo has put great emphasis on being a young talent that will then work with Talgo. studying engineering. This goes back to the
‘people company’ since its inception in 1942 And the opportunities are limitless. their time and energy to mutual advantage, company. One of the great strengths in Construction and Engineering Awards. heart of Talgo’s belief in people, diversity and
when its founders recognised that to be able to Talgo believes in developing talent as a which results in a working environment that the Las Matas and Rivabellosa factories in Her career began when she enrolled in an opportunities.
do things differently, and to truly innovate, it persistent priority, and so it offers to cover the encourages personal initiative and creativity. Spain is the pride that Talgo’s people have in industrial engineering course, where she Talgo is adamant that it does not view the
needed to encourage and develop talent. costs of continued training programmes for But Talgo staff don’t take their personal working for the company. There is a sense of was in the minority. Such was her dedication UK as a place to create a hive of worker drones.
The belief was that experienced staff professional staff. Talgo’s people also commit successes more seriously than that of the belonging at the company, and employees and ability that Talgo entrusted her with It aims to create a balance between company
enjoy working for an internationally renowned the delivery of the Medina-Mecca railway goals, family and social commitments. It’s taken
firm that seeks to offer the best it can for its contract. a wide array of measures to help its people
people. Therefore, when there is a success, it is While other members of the consortium maintain a healthy balance between work,
celebrated as a team. Without that thinking, working on the project did not put women personal and family life.
combined with the ethos of the individual in such high-profile roles, it was “business Some of these are common across the world
staff members, Talgo UK Director Jon Veitch as usual’ for Talgo, which insisted she led – while others are sensitive to local, cultural or
says the company would not have been as the project, something she modestly called geographic conditions. For example, in Spain,
successful in 28 countries. “courageous” in an interview in the Spanish the ‘works shutdown’ is scheduled for the
As for the opportunities, Talgo believes in media. She is quoted as saying of Talgo: “they hottest weeks of the year.
offering people ‘a change of scenery’ and the Here in the UK, Veitch was coy when he
chance to work on big international projects explained detailed plans for the UK due to
via the company’s global presence. One of the great various live bids for contracts. However, he said:
Talgo’s doesn’t take a ‘one size fits all’
approach when it comes to personal
strengths in the Las “The Innovation Centre represents a major
investment, which will become part of a matrix
development. Instead, it strives to bring Matas and Rivabellosa covering the UK, as Talgo pursues its ‘True
together often quite differing disciplines, Manufacturing’ philosophy.”
to nurture innovation and fresh creative factories is the pride Talgo’s innovative thinking doesn’t only cover

Talgo prides itself on its innovation. Inside the Rivabellosa factory, a Talgo offers staff the opportunity to work on projects across the globe.
thinking.
A key example of the Talgo’s plans is Elena Talgo’s people have its trains, it extends to its staff. Recruitment
in the UK will begin as soon as contracts are
member of staff works on a wheelset. Talgo trains are not fitted with axles, At Rivabellosa on November 8 2018, a Saudi Arabian high-speed set Moral. She is Project Director at Talgo and
the recent winner of the Best European
in working for the secured; these are jobs and opportunities that
could open up the world for UK talent - whether
but use natural tilt created by their Rodal system to travel around corners (left) stands in the yard alongside various vehicles for Spanish operator
on high-speed lines. TALGO. RENFE. RICHARD CLINNICK. Railway Engineer category at the Women in company. starting a career or seeking new horizons. ■

10 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 11

INNOVATION
An artist’s impression of the
redeveloped Chesterfield station
and the new sight line to
Chesterfield’s famous ‘wonky

FACTORY
spire’. WILLIAM COX ARCHITECTS.

An artist’s impression of the planned

innovation centre. Work could start there
as early as next year. MABER ARCHITECTS.

We want to see a steady supply of engineers

and other skilled people enter the workforce.
Jon Veitch, UK Director, Talgo

economy in the UK and the respective regions. Birmingham (30 minutes), Leeds (38 minutes)
Helpfully for Talgo, Chesterfield sits between and London (79 minutes).
the two regions. “We are also confident that our communities
Yet another factor for the decision is and businesses will benefit, with 11,000 new
geography. Chesterfield is central to the jobs and 4,100 new homes expected on the
world’s largest cluster of rail supply companies back of £1.1bn of HS2-related investment.”
as well as some of the country’s very best Cllr Gilby added that the council’s priority
innovation networks. The town is also located is to make Chesterfield a thriving borough.
central to an established skills eco-system “To do this, we must ensure that local people
supported by a range of leading training and benefit from the proceeds of growth. DRIIVe is
education providers, research and testing another important building block in achieving
facilities, as well as national centres of this”.
excellence. Talgo has plans to work with all of Building upon the existing site at Barrow
these to develop the skills required not only Hill (which currently supports 65 rail-related
for its own business but for the rail industry in jobs), DRIIVe would include commercial
general. workspace for use by companies that supply
It’s clear to see why Talgo the rail industry.
Talgo wants to invest in the future of plans to make Chesterfield
its HQ in the UK.
In December 2018 the borough council
appointed Faber Consultants and Maber
UK rail technology and innovation, Another key factor is Architects to carry out a detailed feasibility
the connectivity promised study into the opportunities offered by the
says Talgo UK Director JON VEITCH by the arrival of HS2. development of such a training and innovation
Chesterfield will play centre at Barrow Hill.
a vital role in the UK’s This was completed in April this year

T
here is much more to Talgo’s UK within the UK. facility – in Chesterfield – will act as the largest infrastructure and includes a demand analysis that shows
ambitions than its plans to build But Talgo’s plans for Chesterfield will also catalyst.” project. Improvements to compelling evidence to support DRIIVe’s
a factory in Longannet, Scotland. enable the town to fulfil its own ambitions. Talgo says that DRIIVe is not just pivotal the station there are in the viability. Alongside this work, an architect-led
That may be the headline story of DRIIVe (Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation to its own plans but to the delivery of future planning phase, as is a line design study will be used as the basis from
the Spanish company’s UK debut, but further vehicle) is a unique training and innovation UK rail infrastructure projects, worth some maintenance depot for which to advance plans for the centre.
south the company intends to open a training, centre conceived through a partnership £100 billion. Veitch says that DRIIVe will Phase 2B of the HS2 route. Talgo believes that if everything goes to
research and development facility in the comprising Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, complement the national high-speed rail This will further augment plan, then the construction of the new DRIIVe
borough of Chesterfield. Chesterfield Borough Council, Chesterfield colleges at Birmingham and Doncaster, as well the town’s excellent centre could start next summer.
This area of Derbyshire has long been College, the University of Derby, Newcastle as other national centres of excellence, and connectivity. More than This will enable Talgo UK to have an
associated with the rail industry. Barrow Hill University and Talgo. provide the UK rail industry with access to 23 million people live arrangement similar to that in Spain, where
roundhouse is there, and George Stephenson Talgo UK Director Jon Veitch explains: cutting edge research, testing and innovation within two hours’ travel of its HQ in Las Matas (near Madrid) is home
lived in the town for a decade, until his death “There is an engineering renaissance under facilities. The statute at Chesterfield marking rail pioneer Chesterfield, and four major airports and four to research and development, in addition to
in 1848. way, and we want Talgo to be a leading DRIIVe would also be the base for the George Stephenson’s link to the town. seaports are within 90 minutes. manufacturing.
The borough’s rail heritage was a key factor partner. delivery of courses covering everything from CHESTERFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL. Chesterfield Borough Council leader As the company was keen to point out when
in Talgo’s decision to build its innovation “We want to see a steady supply of engineers entry-level training to postgraduate study, Councillor Tricia Gilby says: “The arrival revealing its Longannet plans in November
centre at Barrow Hill. Plans include a training and other skilled people enter the workforce providing opportunities for people to gain the bring the centre to Chesterfield builds on of HS2 in Chesterfield will be a fantastic last year, it’s here to do more than just build
centre, as well as an R&D facility. and be the innovators of the future. skills needed to access the jobs created in the the plans submitted by the Midlands Engine opportunity to improve transport links to trains. The UK industrial base, collectively,
The latter will be used as a hub for the “As part of Talgo’s commitment to the rail sector. and Northern Powerhouse organisations, and from our railway station. It will bring could benefit immensely from Talgo’s
company’s technical development operations UK-wide supply chain, our planned second Talgo believes that this commitment to two leading campaigns to further boost the substantially improved journey times to presence. ■

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A HEART OF
derailment.
More innovation appeared in the 1980s The Rodal wheelset system displayed
when Talgo sought to tackle the geographic on a Very High Speed Train set bound
for Saudi Arabia. RICHARD CLINNICK.
challenges that affected the Spanish railway
network. Tight curves and steep gradients

INNOVATION
were a feature of many lines, and so the Talgo
Pendular was created. This is similar to a
pendulum in that the car body tilts naturally
into curves, enabling the vehicle to partially
compensate for the effect of centrifugal force.
The development of Talgo Pendular gave
the company the chance to develop trains that

S
ince its inception, Talgo has been
about innovation. In 1938, Spanish
Innovation underpins much of Talgo’s could run at higher speeds, thereby reducing
journey times by up to 10%.
engineer Alejandro Goicoechea went culture, putting it squarely in the frame for Another key challenge that faced Spanish
about trying to improve a technology railways was the differing track gauges within
that had been around for more than 100 years. the challenges of developing a family of the country.
His ideas came from experience and,
having witnessed a mail train crash, he’d seen trains for the UK and elsewhere Again, Talgo stepped up to the challenge,
and the first international trains ran between
the injuries caused by the poor design and Barcelona and Geneva in 1969. It developed
construction of wooden-bodied vehicles. an articulated triangular structure, which better stability, a lower floor that makes it an idea from Transfesa introduced some
Initially, his ideas were not well received. He abandoned the traditional rolling system easier for passengers to access the carriage and 18 years earlier as a way of running freight
presented the idea of a very light, articulated and was capable of achieving speeds of up to a train that’s closer to the ground, meaning trains through the Pyrenees mountain range.
metre-gauge trainset to the La Robla Railway 100kmh (62mph). Again, the inspiration for better aerodynamics (perfect for high-speed Installations were built that changed the axles
in Spain, but it was rejected. Undeterred, he this came from experience. Goicoechea had routes). Rodal also resulted in less lateral on wagons as they slowly moved through. This
continued to develop his ideas and unveiled observed a number of tricycles sweep through movement compared with a conventional axle worked for the freight sector, but there were
‘Speed’, which illustrated how light articulated a park, each following in the slipstream of the when running through a curve. concerns over how the system would work
trains with low car bodies could operate at tricycle in front. But what else was innovative about the for the passenger market. Talgo looked for a
higher speeds while mitigating the high costs In the course of his testing and initial design was that its short-articulated solution, and perfected a system.
associated with train travel at the time. experimentation, Goicoechea met Jose Luis de coaches meant that vehicles were lighter. This With its variable track gauge system, Talgo
Until Goicoechea tested his theories, it was Oriol y Urigen. As a result of this partnership, meant lower energy consumption, allowing began to supply vehicles that could allow
believed that railway vehicles should have a Patentes Talgo was formed (see pages 40-43). for a higher maximum speed. Its wider their operators to overcome the challenge of
high weight per axle for safety and to avoid The new company developed a single-axle coaches offered greater passenger comfort, as various gauges, and so the Barcelona-Paris and
derailments. system, called Rodal, that did not use mounted well as higher capacity. Talgo also maintains Madrid-Paris overnight routes became reality,
Goicoechea’s design used a train with wheelsets. This offered a low centre of gravity, that the articulation is safer in the event of a with the first train running in 1974.

The lower height of Talgo coaches

can be seen on two S112s at Valencia
on April 1. RICHARD CLINNICK.

These days, trains full of passengers can an increasing need to supply a full trainset, as
change trains on the move, and regularly do well as meet the requirement for an automatic
so at the interface between the high-speed variable gauge system. This was eventually
network (which is standard gauge) and the made available to the entire European train
Iberian gauge. This permits direct trains to market.
serve even the remotest parts of Spain. The company’s newest offering, the AVRIL
Although relatively unknown in the ES, features a lot of innovation. Its cross-
UK, Talgo has been developing Very High section area is 25% to 30% less than other
Speed Trains for over 30 years. The decision VHST designs while maintaining a greater
to enter that market followed the Spanish interior width on the same gauge as other
Government’s decision to build a new high- trains. It is also designed to further reduce
speed line between Madrid and Seville. energy consumption by 7% per kilometre
Initially, the company developed a and by 31% per seat-kilometre. Throughout
modification for its existing rolling stock. its lifespan, this can result in cost savings of
But it needed to supply traction, so ten years around 60% of the train itself.
later it partnered with Adtranz to develop a While it won’t have to contend with variable
powerhead that would enable it to tender for gauges when Talgo develops its first train for
Renfe’s train contract. Although the decision the UK market, it will need to innovate again
regarding the railway was made in 1988, it was to stand out. But Talgo has more than 70 years’
“Talgo has more than 70 years’ experience not until 2002 that testing began, with the first experience in challenging the norm, of finding
Talgo VHST set entering service in 2003. innovative alternatives to the status quo and
in challenging the norm, and of finding Talgo produced more innovative ideas offering operators significantly reduced costs
innovative alternatives to the status quo.” during the mid-1990s, this time involving
traction heads. Until this point, the company
while carrying more passengers.
Surely that is at the very heart of
had only produced coaches, but now there was innovation? ■

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Naturally reliable

www.talgo.com