It was the largest acquisition of rolling stock ever in Portugal. But the new trains will only arrive in 8 years.
There are 117 new trains with the option of another 36. 62 are intended for urban services and 55 for regional services. It is the biggest investment ever made in the Portuguese railway.
This is a deal closed between CP (Comboios de Portugal) and the Alstom/DST consortium, in a contract worth 746 million euros.
The problem, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, is that “only 117 are expected to be delivered in the subsequent 40 months, and the 36 [adicionais] in the 12 months following these 40 months.” In other words, at the end of the day, there are 8 years of waiting, and only in July 2033 should the Portuguese see the materialized product of the deal.
CP assures, however, that “the study measures that allow the calendar to be brought forward delivery of railcars and to activate the option to purchase a further 36 units for urban services”.
Minister Miguel Pinto Luz, cited by , states that “investing in the railway is a clear intention of this Government. The signing of this acquisition contract represents a major step that puts an end to the delay, resulting from legal issues, which was hampering the modernization of CP’s fleet and the service provided to the population, who increasingly use rail transport”.
