Renfe prepares its entry into Mexico and the Baltic countries

Renfe will be submitted to the bids for the rail projects

, which will connect Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through high speed, and the

, which will develop 1,525 kilometers of railways in the Yucatan peninsula, where Cancun is located, after have received an invitation to enter the contest.

According to Europa Press sources from the Spanish operator, their intention is to present themselves to these contracts as a

, that is, as a shadow operator that provides support during the construction period and is responsible for defining the requirements of the operation and maintenance work.

The main objective of the company with its entry into new markets is to continue advancing in its internationalization process, one of the basic pillars of Renfe's strategic plan, after its participation in Saudi Arabia and the United States.

In these markets, Renfe is part of a project that it defines as “highly technical complexity” and that is already operational, such as the Mecca-Medina AVE, as well as the design, construction and operation of the high-speed train promoted by Texas to connect Dallas-Fort Worth with Houston in less than 90 minutes.

On this occasion, Rail Baltica is a project promoted by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which plans to join the main cities of these three countries from 2026 by means of a high-speed train that runs 870 kilometers.

The total investment will be 5.8 billion euros, co-financed by the European Union.

So far, numerous contracts have been awarded for the design phase of the project, with a significant presence of Spanish engineering firms such as Idom, Prointec, Ardanuy and Ineco.

In this sense, to comply with the required requirements, Renfe is forming a consortium with Ineco, a company that currently has four contracts with Rail Baltica, and is exploring the addition of a third party with a nationality other than Spanish to this consortium.

As a shadow operator, it would also help create the bidding documents and develop the regulatory framework in which future operators and those responsible for maintenance will operate the required services according to the required performance.

For its part, the so-called

projects a rail transport system for passengers and goods in the Yucatan peninsula that will connect, in phase 1, the stations of Palenque and Cancún and will complete, in phase 2, the stations between Cancún and Escárcega, with a total length of 1,525 kilometers.

The general objective of this contest is to support the contracting entity Fonatur (National Tourism Promotion Fund) in the implementation of the project, advising on the future operation and supervising the manufacture, delivery and start-up of the rolling stock and all the systems until the commercial service trial period.

For this tender, Renfe has received an invitation to bid in the contest.

The project has a duration of three years and two months, although the contract is expected to be extended until the start of the commercial operation.