CAF selected as preferred bidder for the new Flemish trams

Flemish Transportation Company De Lijn has selected CAF as preferred bidder for the supply of new trams. The order includes the supply of approximately 146 new trams for the provinces East and West Flanders as well as for Antwerp, which will be produced in seven consecutive call-offs.

De Lijn is the Flemish public operator for buses and tramways, transporting about 530 million passengers per year. The three tram networks of De Lijn total approximately 175 km and are located in the cities of Antwerp, Ghent and along the Belgian coast. The new tramways will operate on the three networks.

The tramways proposed by CAF for De Lijn are low-floor trams, both uni-directional and bi-directional vehicles, and combine modern aesthetics with state-of-the-art equipment. These new trams provide maximum accessibility without compromising comfort, performance and ease of operation.

For CAF, this project stands for a consolidation in the Benelux rolling stock market in general and the Belgian rolling stock market in particular. This summer, MIVB/STIB of Brussels awarded CAF a new contract for the construction of its 43 new metro vehicles and GVB of Amsterdam awarded CAF with a contract for 63 new tramways.

Currently tramways for the cities of Utrecht and Luxemburg, and Civity units for NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) are being produced in CAF’s Plants, and in recent years, CAF also delivered 21 metro vehicles to the city of Brussels.

This new project for the De Lijn underpins CAF's consolidation in the European tramway market where CAF recently developed tramways for cities such as Besançon, Belgrade, Birmingham, Budapest, Cagliari, Debreçen, Edinburg, Freiburg, Granada, Malaga, Nantes, Saint-Etienne, Seville, Stockholm or Tallinn.

The new project adds to an aggregate of new contracts awarded in 2016 in excess of €2,800 million, strengthening CAF's committed strategy towards growth over the next few years.

About CAF

CAF offers comprehensive global rail solutions which, in addition to the supply of trains, includes viability studies, civil work, electrification, signalling, maintenance and system operation in some cases.

Thanks to these integrated projects based on concession or turnkey models, customers are offered a single, global, specific solution, a solution that guarantees the integration and compatibility of all the systems.

Our products can be tailored to suit the specific requirements of each customer, providing safety, comfort and satisfaction to millions of users throughout the world.