For two years, the management of Alstom and the staff of the Santa Perpètua de Mogoda (Barcelona) factory had been awaiting the resolution of this award. The tender was launched in the summer of 2019, and they submitted their offer in January 2020. Finally, Renfe's board of directors approved on Monday the purchase from Alstom and Stadler of 211 high-capacity trains for commuter services throughout Spain and their maintenance for 15 years, for an amount of 2,445 million euros. The largest lot was won by Alstom, which will have to produce 152 trains 100 meters long for 1,447 million euros.
According to Alstom sources, the manufacturing of these units will be carried out entirely at the Vallès plant, which must prepare to assume this significant volume of work. At the facilities of the French multinational in Santa Perpètua, the entire production process is carried out, from the initial designs to commissioning, and it has manufactured everything from L9 metro cars and the Barcelona tram to commuter and AVE trains. It also has a research and development (R&D) center. In fact, for years it has been committed to its digitalization and centralizes the group's 3D printing.
To respond to the Renfe contract, the company plans to double its current workforce in Santa Perpètua, which consists of approximately 700 direct and 300 indirect employees ---who work in the same factory---. Likewise, the company plans to expand its facilities. It will be able to do so on the same land where they are located, which it bought from Inbisa in 2015. Specifically, the total surface area of the factory is 360,000 square meters, and only 65,000 are built. The factory will also have to be adapted to the new production, with new welding workshops, paint booths, warehouses, and dynamic test tracks, in addition to building a new virtual reality center.
The awarding by Renfe of 152 trains represents a guarantee of workload for the next five years in Santa Perpètua, accompanied by this ambitious growth and investment plan in the factory. Alstom emphasizes that this contract is a great opportunity to position the plant and the group, taking into account that these are high-capacity trains, one of the main demands of the market. These types of vehicles are designed for large cities and must allow many users to move with short stop times. Right now, the Vallès factory is already producing units with these characteristics for regional services in Luxembourg.
Where the 211 new Alstom and Stadler trains will be destined and what they will be like
Renfe plans to allocate the 211 new trains manufactured by Alstom and Stadler to the large commuter rail hubs in Spain. This may include the Rodalies service, but it is subject to the signing of the program contract between the Generalitat, which owns the service, and Renfe, which operates it. According to the new Rodalies Plan, presented in December and prepared by former minister Pere Macías, if the program contract is signed, the incorporation of 56 new trains is expected before 2025.
The new units will have a capacity of at least 900 seats each, 20% more than the current Civia trains, manufactured by the Basque company CAF. The boarding and alighting time for passengers will be minimized, through a design with a minimum of ten doors and wide vestibules. All carriages will be accessible for people with reduced mobility and will have Wi-Fi connection and areas for leaving bicycles and child strollers.
The trains that Alstom and Stadler will manufacture will have capacity for 900 passengers and will have Wi-Fi connection and areas for leaving bicycles and child strollersThe contract is part of the Fleet Renewal Plan launched by Renfe in 2019, which will involve the renewal of 50% of Commuter and Regional trains. The operator wants to improve service reliability and reduce incidents, increase energy efficiency, comply with accessibility obligations, and enhance the safety of the railway system. It also aims to to reduce the median age of the fleet, especially for Commuter and Regional trains, which have some trains that are over 30 years old.
The Fleet Renewal Plan comes after no new train purchases were tendered since 2007. Now, Renfe plans to tender more than 3.5 billion euros for the acquisition of rolling stock, generating around 52,000 new jobs, with the aim of reactivating the economy. The first of these acquisitions was won by CAF, for the supply of 31 metric-gauge trains and six alpine trains, for an amount of 258 million euros. In the coming months, Renfe plans to award contracts for the acquisition of 43 Medium-distance trains and 38 Commuter trains, which will go to different autonomous communities.