ATAC S.p.A. has awarded CAF the framework contract for the supply of the new tram fleet for the Italian capital city. The contract specifically covers the design and manufacture of 40 trams, train maintenance for 5 years and the associated fleet spares. There is also an option to increase the number of units in the project by a further 81, taking the total to 121. The base contract is worth in excess of €130m, which could grow to in excess of €400m should the customer make use of all the options provided for in the contract.
ATAC S.p.A., the public transport concessionaire for the metropolitan area of Rome, which is wholly owned by the City Council of Rome, is the largest urban transport company in Italy and one of the leading European players. In addition to the tram network, it also controls Rome's three metro lines, the suburban train, as well as the urban bus and trolleybus lines that provide the backbone of the city's transport network.
The Italian operator plans to replace the old fleet currently operating on the network's six existing lines and to purchase trams for the new lines planned to be built in the near future by leveraging European funding.
The CAF-designed units belong to the Urbos tram platform, with more than 1,000 of this type of vehicle already running across all continents (more than 20 countries and 50 cities). The tram will consist of 5 modules with one key feature being the readiness for the upgrade with the OESS (On Board Energy Storage Systems) system, which allows the unit to operate on catenary-free sections, thereby reducing the visual impact on the historic Italian city whilst improving energy efficiency.
This is testament to the CAF Group's commitment to the Italian market and in particular to sustainable transport in the Italian capital, where it has been working in partnership with Roma Capitale for over 20 years. Throughout these years the company has supplied 71 metro units currently in service on the A, B and Roma-Lido lines, successfully meeting high operational reliability and availability standards. It should also be mentioned that Solaris, a Group company that specialises in sustainable bus construction, is the current zero-emission bus market leader in Italy, having already supplied a significant volume of both electric and hydrogen-powered units.