CAF has once again secured its customers' confidence by securing two new agreements to expand the number of units in its current projects. On the one hand, it will supply the Dutch operator GVB with 13 additional trains for the Amsterdam metro. Additionally, it will increase the number of units for the new Palermo city tram network. The combined value of both operations amounts to approximately €130m.
CAF to supply 13 additional units for the Amsterdam Metro
GVB, the public transit operator serving the Amsterdam region, has entered into an agreement with CAF for the supply of an additional 13 M7 model metro units. This option was included in the contract entered with CAF in 2018, which initially envisaged the supply of 30 trains.
The new vehicles will be identical to the units that have already been delivered. Each comprises 3 cars and can be coupled to form 6-car vehicles. They will also be equipped with the CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) system, and capable of fully unattended train operation (GoA 4).
These new metro units will replace the oldest units in the fleet, which CAF also originally supplied in the 1990s and are now at the end of their service life. The fleet replacement will provide GVB with modern vehicles capable of transporting large numbers of passengers comfortably and efficiently.
This latest order brings the total number of CAF rail vehicles acquired by Dutch customers over the last 10 years to 445 units, comprising both delivered vehicles and those currently held in the order book. These include notable contracts such as the 72 trams also recently delivered to GVB, and contracts for customers such as NS, the Province of Utrecht or the operator Qbuzz. In addition to this, Solaris recently won contracts to supply electric and hydrogen buses for Dutch operators such as TransDev and Arriva. All of these have established the CAF Group as one of the leading suppliers of sustainable vehicles in the Dutch public transport sector.
The Italian city of Palermo increases its order for trams
A year after entering into the initial contract, the Comune di Palermo has chosen to extend the agreement, purchasing 14 more trams. In this case, the new units are for the new sections D, E2, F and G of the tram network, the construction of which will soon be put out to tender.
It should be noted that halfway through last year, the joint venture between the Italian construction company Sis Scpa and CAF won the contract to construct the new tram lines A, B and C in Palermo and to supply the units for these lines. The scope of the part of the contract that corresponded to CAF consisted of the design and manufacture of 9 trams to operate on the above-mentioned sections of the city's network, with an option to increase this supply by up to 35 additional units.
The tram extension is an extremely significant project for the future of the historic city of Palermo, whose main objective is to provide the city with a broader and more modern public transport service, with a means of transport such as the tram, which the inhabitants regard as the safest, fastest and most sustainable means of transport.