BARCELONA transport authority Autoritat del Transport Metropolita Spa announced on April 27 that it had selected the Group TramMet consortium for a 25-year concession to finance, design, build and operate a 16·8 km light rail line from Diagonal to Boix Llobregat.
Promoted by ATM with the support of the Catalunya regional government, the Municipality of Barcelona and other local authorities, the line is costed at Pts36bn, of which ATM will provide 25·8bn. Constructión will get under way in 2001, with services starting two years later. The line is expected to carry more than 19 million passengers per year.
Alstom will be responsible for project management and E&M works including rolling stock, signalling, and the power supply network. Spanish firms FCC Construcción, Comsa, Acciona and NECSO will share the civil works plus the provision of the track and overhead catenary. CGEA Transport of France will be the operator, in association with Sarbus, Soler Y Sauret and CGT of Spain. Finance will be provided by Bansabadell and Société Générale.
The 20 Citadis low-floor LRVs will be assembled in Barcelona. The 100% low floor cars will have Onix drives and Arpège bogies. Each 30 m long car will be carried on two powered and one trailer bogie, with space for 215 passengers.
- On April 14 the Communité Urbaine de Bordeaux confirmed its selection of an Alstom-led consortium to build the city’s planned Fr2bn light rail network, overturning appeals by Adtranz that had seen the cancellation of an earlier contract award (RG 4.00 p206).
