[Portugal] Public Tender launched for 117 new EMU's

[Giugiaro]

CP - Comboios de Portugal, launched a public tender to acquire 117 new EMU's for commuter and regional services.
The ceremony was held at the Guifões Maintenance Unit in December 14, 2021.

The tender is valued at €819M (£696M), with the first train expected to be delivered in 2026, and the last one in 2029, at a frequency of 3 units per month.
It also includes an option for two additional batches of 18 EMU's, that could bring the total number of new trains to 153.
Additionally, a brand new modern workshop should be built at the Guifões Maintenance Unit to aid on the maintenance (and preferentially manufacture/final assembly) of the new and existing multiple units.

The first 18 units will be dual voltage 1.5kV DC and 25kV AC EMU's for the Cascais Lines.
The commuter trains (62 in total) should have an high capacity layout with max. speed of 140kph (~85mph), and the regional trains (the remaining 55) a max. speed of 160kph (~100mph).

The criteria of the tender are as follows:

Price and payment options and conditions	21%
Technical prowess of the manufacturer, quality of the fleet, and part interchangeability	56%
Warranty period of 5 years for fleet and components	8%
Percentage of local manufacture, assembly and use of components of Portuguese origin + Implementation of solutions for PMR, general accessibility, and social sustainability	15%

In 2022 a new tender will also be launched for 12 new high speed trains that, due to being used on a purely comercial service, will need to be financed without public funding, according to EU rail transport liberalization laws.

 

[JonasB]

That's quite a large tender. Is it meant to replace older EMUs or to expand services?

 

[Giugiaro]

@JonasB there are a few situations here.

In the case of the Cascais Line, the new fleet will replace the ancient fleet that currently resides in that link since 1926, but also expand on it, as the number of EMU's that'll be intended for that line is higher in number of cars than what currently exists.
(It should be noted that the current fleet, before their second refurbishment, was also accompanied by Cravens units that were eventually scrapped and not replaced.)

The other commuter services will receive these units as a reinforcement.

As for the regional service... That is a good question.
We already have 22 new units from Stadler arriving somewhere around 2024 or 2025. These will replace all Spanish DMUs currently in service in Portugal. Maybe also the 0350's railcars.

The 0450 will be refurbished any time soon, so they aren't expected to be replaced in the near future. Especially if they eventually decide to go for a Battery Electric Dual mode conversion over pure Diesel.

If the new units are meant to replace the already existing 2240 EMUs, this will hardly be considered a service expansion, but if they won't be replaced (especially considering they're made of stainless steel) this will be a major increase in the available fleet.
And a much needed one.

 

[the sniper]

Thanks for the update @Giugiaro. Is it thought that the 12 high speed trains will supplement the Class 4000s, so likely to be more tilting stock from Alstom? Or are they expected to replace loco-hauled services and be non-tilting?

 

[Giugiaro]

Is it thought that the 12 high speed trains will supplement the Class 4000s, so likely to be more tilting stock from Alstom? Or are they expected to replace loco-hauled services and be non-tilting?

The 12 HS units are supposed to reach 300kph. It's still too early to tell what and how are these units supposed to be, but probably your run-of-the-mill high speed multiple unit gauged to 1668mm.
Their ability to reach anywhere within the already existing railway network is worth pointing out as well.

There's also a €50M NextGenerationEU project leaded by SERMEC2 and CP for lightweight stainless steel passenger cars, with 3 prototypes expected to be completed by 2025 consisting of a 1st driving unit, a 2nd class + bar car, and a 2nd class saloon.

At the moment, saying that I was involved in that project is an understatement.

 

[JonasB]

Thanks! It sounds like a much needed order. It's nice to see CP ordering new rolling stock.

 

[Giugiaro]

Hello!

The preliminary period for manufacturers to show interest in the tender has ended, with 6 entities coming forth to participate:

- Consortium between Alstom Transporte, Bombardier Transportation Portugal, and Domingos da Silva Teixeira (DST);
- Consortium between CAF and Turnkey & Engineering;
- Consortium between Patentes Talgo and Siemens Mobility;
- CRRC Tangshan;
- Hitachi Rail STS;
- Stadler Rail Valencia.

In about two months, the Jury will decide which manufacturers shall proceed to the next phase, where the proposals should be made.

 

[Giugiaro]

Good morning.

The aftermath of the preliminary report has led to some accusations between competitors that became national news in Portugal.

Stadler considers that the Jury should dismiss all other consortiums from the tender for failing to present all necessary legal documents for the preliminary phase.

CAF accuses Stadler, CRRC and Stadler of not providing all documents with valid digital signatures and legal Portuguese translations (or lack of translation).

The following source has more detail on all individual accusations:

Ataques entre candidatos ameaçam atrasar compra de 117 comboios pela CP

Litigância entre os concorrentes pode chegar ao tribunal e atrasar a compra dos novos comboios. CAF quer a exclusão do concurso de quatro concorrentes e a Stadler quer a exclusão de todos.

www.publico.pt

 

[Speed43125]

It does seem pretty standard fare nowadays to accuse if not sue other bidders in a competitive procurement you (think you will) lose out on!