SPANISH national operator Renfe has awarded CAF a €588·2m contract to supply 107 multiple-units for medium-distance services.
Of these, 50 will be 160 km/h three-car DMUs each seating 187 passengers. These will be delivered for operation on 1668mm gauge but will be designed for conversion to 1435mm gauge at a later date.
The order also includes 57 five-car EMUs each accommodating 263 passengers, of which 23 will be capable of operating at up to 160 km/h on 1668mm gauge. The remaining 34 will be gauge-changing units designed for a maximum speed of 200 km/h on high speed lines.
Renfe will be participating in the manufacture and maintenance of the new trains, to be delivered in 2008-11, which it says represent total investment of €956·5m over a 14-year term. CAF’s winning bid was €275m or 29% lower than its closest rival - the other bidders were Alstom and a consortium of Siemens, Talgo and Vossloh.
H Bids are due by September 18 for a contract worth up to €78·8m to build a new maintenance facility for high speed rolling stock at Fuencarral depot in Madrid (RG 4.06 p176). n
