The Board of Directors of Renfe has confirmed its decision to make use of the option to extend the amount of medium-distance electric units provided for in the contract which was awarded to CAF at the end of 2022.
Following this decision, Renfe exercised an option to order 32 additional trainsets of which 24 will be 3-car trains and the other 8 trains will be 4-car units. EUR 190 million is the value of this option.
The trains to be supplied by CAF will have similar specifications to those previously ordered and are currently in the manufacturing process. They will be able to operate at 200 km/h. One of the stand-out features of the unit is its capacity to run short distances autonomously on sections of the network where there is no catenary or when required when a power cut occurs, on account of the batteries the units are equipped with. CAF’s incorporation of this technology on a number of its latest projects is testament of its commitment to developing this zero-emission solution to address passenger transport decarbonisation. The company is working in this area both by developing the vehicles themselves to make them more efficient and lighter, and by improving operation, with a view towards achieving optimum integration between vehicles and infrastructure.
The initial contract, awarded to CAF in October last year, established the initial supply of 28 medium-distance electric units, together with the supply of their relevant depot parts and train maintenance services for 15 years. This agreement includes further options to extend the scope in the future. One of these was the production of up to 42 additional trains and it is part of this option that Renfe has now enforced. Following this latest order, Renfe will acquire 60 medium-distance electric units increasing transport capacity and passenger comfort.
This purchase complements the acquisition of the 29 Cercanías units, also awarded to CAF in March 2022 in order to guarantee maximum efficiency in the operation of the new fleet and the lowest cost over a long period of time.
In addition, in 2021, Renfe has signed EUR 2.44 billion contracts with Alstom and Stadler to acquire 211 high-capacity trains of which 152 Alstom’s Coradia Stream trains for Cercanías network and 59 high-capacity trains for commuter services manufactured by Stadler. In December, the Spanish operator ordered from Alstom 49 additional trains bringing the high-capacity train fleet manufactured by Alstom to 20 trains. In June, Alstom and the Spain’s Minister of Transport and Mobility have unveiled the design of the new Coradia Stream train for Renfe.
Renfe Mercancías announced in January that it will invest EUR 122.7 million to renew its freight rolling stock including the procurement of 12 electric locomotives from Stadler, as well as new platforms and wagons which will be also equipped with latest technologies to increase capacity, performance and energy efficiency.
Renfe plans to renew its rolling stock fleet by investing more than EUR 4.5 billion for the procurement of 436 new trains, and 50 new locomotives as well to modernise 57 existing trains designed to operate the high-speed, Cercanías, and metric gauge networks.
When adding the maintenance of this rolling stock fleet, the global investment reaches over EUR 5.2 billion.
At the beginning of 2023, the Spanish Official Credit Institute (ICO) and Renfe signed a EUR 350 million agreement to support the procurement of the ordered Cercanías high-capacity trains. For this operation, ICO has obtained funds from the European Investment Bank for the same amount. In the spring of 2020, the bank has approved a EUR 320 million loan for Renfe’s new rolling stock.
The new trains will allow the rejuvenation of the fleet, with the consequent increase in reliability and the reduction of incidents. The new trains will increase energy efficiency and will be adapted to the obligations of implementation of accessibility. A part of the new trains will replace the diesel fleet thus reducing CO2 emissions.In 2026, the company will have the most modern fleet in Europe and in addition, this will mean the creation of 52,000 jobs.
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