Renfe teams up with Hong Kong operator MTR to enter the British AVE
MadridUpdated:
Renfe has entered in the bid to participate in the AVE that the United Kingdom builds between London and Birmingham, by allying with MTR, Hong Kong operator that competes to take over the exploitation of this corridor when in 2026 it is put into service, as reported by the Spanish company.
The operator will act as a subcontractor of MTR, to which advise on the exploitation of High Speed services from the experience of 25 years in the AVE accumulated in Spain. The consortium led by MTR is completed by the Chinese operator Guangshen Railway Company (GSRC), which operates AVE lines in China.
The railway company joins the British AVE months after entering the one that a private initiative plans to build in Texas (U.S).
Internationalization of Renfe
Renfe frames these initiatives in the internationalization strategy, which will also be one of the axes of the strategic plan that it ultimately approves for the next five years in order to prepare for the opening passenger transport by train in Spain in 2020, when it will have to face the entrance of other operators in the Spanish AVE.
As for the United Kingdom, the consortium in which the Spanish operator enters will compete for provide rail services in the West Coast area, which includes other services besides the AVE. The Renfe partner is a firm that has been established in the United Kingdom for a decade, and is also present in Sweden, China and Australia.
