Press releases

2019/10/07

CAF WINS TENDER TO SUPPLY ADDITIONAL TRAMS FOR BIRMINGHAM

CAF has been selected to supply 21 catenary-free trams - with an option for a further 29 - for Birmingham by West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the organisation that manages transport and economic development in the region. The first Urbos units are scheduled for delivery in late 2021.

 

In addition, the contract includes technical support services and the supply of spares for a 30-year term. The total contract value is in excess of €90 million.

 

CAF supplied the current fleet of 21 Urbos trams for Birmingham in 2012. In 2018 these units were subsequently fitted with the award-winning Greentech On-board Energy Storage Solution with Ion-Lithium batteries enabling catenary-free running.

 

The new Urbos units will be equipped with a similar On-board Energy Storage Solution which eliminates the need for potentially disruptive and expensive installation of overhead electrification equipment and helps protect architecturally sensitive areas around the city centre. The solution also provides substantial improvements in energy efficiency.

 

The new trams will join the existing Urbos fleet on the Midland Metro line linking Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the extension to Centenary Square, an important cultural and business hub in the city.

 

The Centenary Square extension is scheduled to open in early 2020 and will become the first commercial tram line in the UK designed for catenary-free running.

 

The Urbos tram is an articulated bidirectional unit with two cabs, giving passengers easy access with its low floor, it is designed for a maximum speed of 70 km/h with the capability to run on catenary-free sections when using the battery On-board Energy Storage System (OESS).

 

Richard Garner, CAF's UK Director, comments: "CAF is delighted to have been selected to provide additional state-of-the-art Urbos trams for this ground-breaking UK metro line. The CAF Urbos tram will be the first example of battery technology being used in a high intensity passenger service here in the UK. The Urbos modern, spacious design will provide passengers with a quiet, smooth and comfortable travel experience."

 

This WMCA tram project will create substantial improvements to the transport system in Birmingham and surrounding communities and shore up the urban regeneration plans for the city centre.

 

This contract for WMCA further cements CAF’s position in the UK rail market. CAF is [delighted/pleased] with its significant success in the UK, including completion of several contracts for operators; Arriva UK, First Group, Serco Group Plc, West Midlands Trains Ltd, KeolisAmey and Transport for London, totalling an overall volume of circa €2.5 billion.

 

SOLARIS WINS YET ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT CONTRACT FOR ELECTRIC BUSES IN ITALY, IN VENICE THIS TIME

 

CAF, through the Group's subsidiary Solaris, has been awarded a new contract in Italy for the supply of electric buses which adds to the recent contract for up to 250 buses for ATM Milan.

 

This project is steered by the operator ACTV SPA Venezia and comprises the supply of 30 electric buses of the Urbino12 model as well as the battery charging infrastructure. The total value of this contract exceeds €20 million.

 

These new units will be equipped with state-of-the-art systems in terms of safety, accessibility and comfort, in addition to remote control systems to analyse and optimise the performance of the entire system.

 

All of the vehicles, as well as the infrastructure, will be delivered in late 2020 and are to provide service on the Lido and Pellestrina islands, replacing the current fleet of diesel vehicles operating on these islands. It should also be pointed out that these are not the first Solaris vehicles for Venice as the Company also supplied another 18 buses to the Veneto capital, ten of which are fuelled with compressed natural gas (CNG).

 

ELECTRIC BUSES FOR BILBAO

 

Lastly, Solaris has entered into a contract with the operator Alsa Group S.A. for the supply of two Solaris electric buses Urbino 12 for Bilbao, as well as two charging stations. These vehicles are scheduled for delivery later this year.

 

The vehicle capacity will be at least 75 passenger, with 26 seated places. It will be equipped solution which enables the unit’s air to be automatically conditioned to the desired temperature one hour before departure if the temperature outside drops. This will improve passenger comfort, and also save the energy stored in the traction batteries as the vehicle is heated using the power supplied from the electric grid via a socket.

 

Solaris delivered the company’s first buses in Spain in 2010 with now almost 200 vehicles having since been supplied in cities such as Barcelona, Pamplona, Castellón, Las Palmas, Seville or San Sebastián.

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