CP announces largest acquisition ever. 117 trains purchased

CP – Comboios de Portugal announced on Tuesday the decision to transfer the acquisition of 117 trains, the largest purchase ever, worth 819 million euros, to a group created by the French Alstom.

“This project will contribute to the development and sustainability of the railway sector in the medium to long term, representing a fundamental milestone in the modernization and expansion of rail passenger transport in Portugal,” said a statement sent to the media, noting the award for the acquisition of 117 electric self-propelled vehicles installations “at the group Alstom Transporte SAU, Alstom Ferroviária Portugal, SA and Domingos da Silva Teixeira SA.”

The competition began in 2021 and included six major companies from the global rail industry (Alstom, CAF, CRRC Tangshan, Hitachi, Stadler and Siemens/Talgo).

The largest purchase ever made by CP includes 62 vehicles for the city service and 55 for the regional service, which “reflects CP’s commitment to responding to citizens’ growing mobility needs with more sustainable transportation solutions,” the company noted.

This tender did not include the purchase of long-distance trains.

CP stressed that these new trains represent “significant progress in increasing the efficiency, comfort and frequency of the services offered, making a decisive contribution to sustainable mobility and reducing the environmental footprint of national transport.”

When the competition was approved by the Council of Ministers in July 2021, the government said it expected the first train to arrive in 2026 and all trains to enter service in 2029.

Alstom submitted its technical and financial proposal to CP on December 2, and the tender entered the negotiation stage with the company in January this year.

According to Eco newspaper, Alstom has committed to opening a plant in Matosinhos if it wins a government tender, which the company says will represent about 300 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.

CP reported on February 21, 2022 that it had received six bids for the tender for 117 regional and commuter railcars, submitted by three companies and three consortiums.

CP said in a statement that bids were submitted by the Chinese from CRRC Tangshan, the Japanese from Hitachi Rail and the Swiss from Stadler through Stadler Rail Valencia.

Already in the consortium, groups consisting of France’s Alstom Transporte, Bombardier Transportation Portugal (owned by Alstom) and Portugal’s Domingos da Silva Teixeira (DST) have submitted bids; another group combining the manufacturing and engineering divisions of the Spanish CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and CAF Turnkey & Engineering); and a group consisting of Spain’s Patentes Talgo and Germany’s Siemens Mobility.

The competition was contested by Stadler and CAF, leading to delays relative to the time frame originally set for its completion, which was due to take place in 2021.