The Class 130 are designed for high-speed services on Iberian gauge (1,668 mm / 5 ft 5 21/32 in) and high-speed (1,435 mm / 4 ft 8 1/2 in) lines; they can change gauge at low speed without stopping using Talgo's RD variable gauge system.

A Class 130 highspeed train passing the Pajares summit line from Gijón to Madrid. End of 2023 the summit line will be replaced by a new Pajares base tunnel.

Originally, the 15 sets of CLass 730 were high-speed trains from the 130 series. From 2009, they were converted to electric/diesel vehicles in order to expand the area of operation in north-west of Spain. For this purpose, an end car was integrated between the powered end cars and the passenger cars. These two cars have diesel-powered generators to supply the power cars with electricity. In diesel mode, they reach a speed of 180 kph / 110 mph.