Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Oscar Puente and Renfe President Raül Blanco visited Alstom's industrial facility in Catalonia, where 201 new high-capacity commuter trains were produced for Renfe. During their visit, they had the opportunity to learn about the innovative production process developed for this contract at the Catalan facilities. They also had the opportunity to see the first coupled unit of the new trains, which is currently undergoing static tests.
Alstom Spain General Manager Leopoldo Maestu, who accompanied the Minister and Renfe President during the visit, pointed out that this contract, which is the largest contract in Alstom's history in Spain, allowed the company to double capacity and employment in the industrial center. It currently employs more than 1.100 people and is one of the Group's largest in Europe.
“This project not only guarantees our workload for the coming years, but also includes an ambitious growth and investment plan. It allowed us to develop a growth and industrial transformation plan in Santa Perpètua based on three pillars: people, industrial capital and digitalization and sustainability,” says Leopoldo Maestu.
In this sense, Alstom has hired more than 500 new professionals in Catalonia in the last two years. The plant will reach its historic operating peak in the 2025-2026 financial year, when production of new high-capacity trains for Renfe will reach full capacity.
The Renfe contract also means increased indirect employment in Catalonia, as Alstom has more than 230 local suppliers and last year purchased more than €212 million from Catalan suppliers.
201 state-of-the-art commuter train
The new trains, each consisting of 6 wagons (4 single-deck wagons and 2 double-deck wagons), will have a capacity of more than 900 passengers. The 12 doors on both sides, evenly distributed throughout the train, speed up passenger flow and the transport capacity of suburban networks, improving station dwell time. Additionally, fully accessible for people with reduced mobility, trains of the future will feature spaces for PRM chairs and multifunctional spaces for bikes, suitcases, strollers and more.
Technically, the new vehicles will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to increase reliability and punctuality. In addition, the applied technology will allow the collection of thousands of data per second from the entire fleet. This real-time information enables operational decisions to be made more efficiently, resulting in better service to commuters.
The first three units currently in production will begin to undergo testing in the coming months, thus starting the validation and certification process of new rolling stock. Once this process is completed, mass production of the remaining 3 units will begin, with the aim of delivering 4 to 198 trains to Renfe every month.