Press releases

2021/06/18

CAF CONCLUDES TWO NEW CONTRACTS IN GERMANY

The CAF Group has secured both contracts on the German market. Firstly, it has entered into a  contract with the operator Ruhrbahn GmbH to supply 51 LRVs, which will serve the cities of Essen  and Mülheim an der Ruhr. Secondly, the company has won an extension of eight additional trams  for the city of Freiburg. Both contracts amount to a figure of almost €200 M.  

These contracts further attest to CAF's commitment in Germany, where, besides the  aforementioned projects, it is also currently supplying electric units to the operator  Schönbuchbahn. The German market also represents an important opportunity for Solaris, a  subsidiary of the CAF Group, which supplied a total of 329 buses to German public transport  operators in 2020, 40% of which were electric vehicles.  

Supply of 51 LRV for the German Operator Ruhrbahn GmbH  

CAF has reached an agreement with the German operator Ruhrbahn GmbH to execute a supply  contract for the supply of 51 LRV units as well as all relevant spare parts. These units are planned  to be delivered between 2024 and 2026.  

Ruhrbahn is the largest transport operator in the Ruhr region and manages transport in the cities  of Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr, providing services for more than 150 million passengers per  year. The company operates three underground lines, eleven tram lines and 74 bus lines  providing daytime and night-time services. The company is renowned for its customer-oriented,  high-quality and environmentally friendly local transport.  

The new units will be bidirectional, 28 meter long vehicles.  Passenger capacity will be  at least for 173 passengers including two multipurpose places for wheelchairs or prams. In  addition and for enhanced safety, the units will be fitted with a driver assistance system and rear view cameras instead of the usual mirrors. The vehicles will run on the tram network which  services the cities of Essen and Mülheim and connects them to each other. This network currently  spans a total of 155 kilometres, serving as the transport backbone for the entire metropolitan  area.  

Essen is a German city in North Rhine-Westphalia, located in the heart of the industrial region of  the Ruhr river basin, one of the largest urban areas in Europe. For decades, it was known as the  largest mining city in Europe until the ‘60s, when the city went through a major development and  gradually shifted towards a new economic model, breaking away from its dependence on the  mining sector to become a modern city with important cultural offerings and a service-based  economy. In fact, the city received the European Green Capital City award in 2017,  acknowledging its policies with regards to protecting and improving the environment and  biodiversity. 

Freiburg City’s renewed Trust on CAF’s Trams  

CAF has also signed a new contract with the municipal company, VAG Freiburg, which is  responsible for the operation of the Freiburg tram system. This contract is for the supply of eight  trams for this German city. These new units will be added to the 17 Urbos trams that the Company  previously supplied and which are already providing revenue service. This fleet extension contract  was already considered when VAG Freiburg awarded CAF the initial contract. These new units  will replace the GT8N vehicles, which have been running since the early ‘90s, providing improved  accessibility and greater capacity as they are now 9 metres in length compared to the previous  trams.  

Freiburg is considered to be a gateway city to the Black Forest with more than 230,000  inhabitants. It is also renowned for its sustainability policies and its commitment to protecting and  preserving the environment. The city's tram network has become a prominent feature of the city,  a testament to its commitment to reducing the importance of the use of cars.