CAF was awarded two tram contracts in Italy with a total firm order for 53 light rail vehicles.
The City of Bologna (Comune di Bologna) signed with CAF a framework contract to supply up to 60 trams, which includes the maintenance of the vehicles for 4 years, as well as the supply of spare parts and special tools for the fleet. The firm order covers the supply of 33 units for a value of more than EUR 130 million, which could then, with a maximum term of 6 years, be extended up to 60 trams, or as many as 72 trams (an additional 20% provided for by law), which would more than double the operation’s amount if all the envisaged options are exercised.
The CAF-designed vehicles are based on the Urbos tramway platform. For Bologna, the LRVs will comprise 5 modules with a length of 35 metres with a total capacity for more than 200 passengers. It will also be fitted with the OESS (On Board Energy Storage Systems) system, which enables catenary-free unit operation, thereby reducing the visual impact and increasing service energy efficiency. This is a tried and tested technology developed by CAF for a significant number of projects, which has established the company as a leading on-board energy system company in the railway sector.
This contract is related to the project for the development of a new tramway network in the historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. The tram network will comprise four lines (Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue lines) and will be operated by the company TPB, owned by TPER (Trasporto Passeggeri Emilia Romagna).
This project, financed with funds from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, forms part of the Sustainable Urban Transport Plan currently being undertaken in the city. The strategy aims at creating a city with less pollution to its citizens and visitors, with the possibility of traveling in a sustainable and safe manner through the creation of a single integrated metropolitan transport system, with the tram system serving as one of the mainstays of this new model of sustainable transport.
The second contract is an exercised option made by the Italian operator ATAC the company that manages public transport in the Rome metropolitan area. The company has made use of a first extension option provided for in the framework agreement for the tram supply project, which CAF was awarded at the end of last year. This agreement included a first contract covering the design and manufacture of an initial 40 trams, with the possibility of increasing the number of project units by a further 81 vehicles, making a total of 121.
Entering into this second contract, the Rome operator has decided to extend the supply with a first extension of 20 additional trams, which will also be fitted with OESS, including their maintenance for 5 years. This decision is part of ATAC’s plans to replace the old units of the fleet currently in operation on the six existing lines of the network, as well as to acquire units that will operate on the new lines soon to be built in the Italian capital.
With these two tram contracts in Italy, CAF continues its expansion on the market.
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