Press releases

2018/05/02

CAF SELECTED AS PREFERRED BIDDER FOR THE NEW AMSTERDAM METRO

GVB Activa B.V., the Amsterdam public transport company, has selected CAF as preferred bidder for the supply of a series of new metros. The order includes the supply of 30 metros, designated M7, options for up to 30 additional metros, as well as the optional extension of the ordered metros from 3-cars to 6-cars.

The metros will replace older generation of metros still in service and provide extra transportation capacity on the busy Amsterdam metro network. The capital of the Netherlands has a population in excess of 800,000, and is one of Europe’s main economic and touristic poles of attraction. The public transportation system of the city is challenged by an increasing number of passengers, due to new residential areas, growing economic activity and increasing number of tourists. With the opening of the new North-South Metroline, the metro is consolidated as Amsterdam’s backbone of the public transportation system.

The new metros for Amsterdam consist of 3 cars, and can be coupled in pairs of two, resulting in a 6-car train. The metros are prepared for driverless operation. Furthermore, the metros are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and passenger information systems, they are energy efficient and easy to maintain.

This order marks a new step in the long-lasting relationship between GVB and CAF. Back in 1994 CAF was awarded a contract for the supply of 37 metros. These vehicles are since then providing service on Amsterdam's metro network. In 2016 GVB awarded CAF a contract for the supply of 63 trams (15G), a project currently in execution.

Moreover, this new project adds to ongoing contracts currently being executed for other customers in The Netherlands: 118 commuter trains or ‘Sprinters’ for Dutch Railways, and 27 + 22 trams for the Province Utrecht. It therefore substantiates evidence of CAF’s stronghold in the European market, where the company has scored important wins with contracts in United Kingdom, Italy and Belgium.

All in all, CAF’s tied-up contracts in the first 4 months of the year amount to approximately €350m, including also the recent contracts of Metro Barcelona, Vitoria Trams and the Naples Metro extension, bringing the company's orders on hand up to an amount shy of the record figure posted at year-end 2017.