Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S A : CAF IS AWARDED CONTRACTS IN ITALY WORTH IN EXCESS OF 150 MILLION EUROS

2023/07/06

Three Italian cities, Cagliari, Naples and Palermo have placed their trust in CAF to make resolute progress in their sustainable urban transport transformation initiatives. The CAF Group will supply electric buses to Cagliari in Sardinia, metro units to Naples and tram units to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. These contracts are testament to CAF's strong value offer as a supplier of a wide range of zero-emission urban transport solutions. The total of the three aforementioned contracts amounts to a value of over 150 million euros.

Solaris secures a major order for 98 electric buses for Cagliari

CMT Cagliari, Sardinia's public transport operator, has chosen CAF to supply 98 electric buses. The order comprises 80 twelve-metre and 18 eighteen-metre articulated bus units. This contract forms part of a framework agreement entered into in 2023 with Consip S.p.A., a company owned by the Italian Department of Economy and Finance (MEF). Under this agreement public transport companies can directly request vehicles or hold tenders with the selected suppliers, one of these being the CAF Group company.

The vehicles for CMT Cagliari, scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 2025, will be powered by Solaris High Energy batteries. On the one hand, the 12-metre units will feature energy storage with a total capacity in excess of 350 kWh, while the articulated buses will be equipped with batteries with a capacity in excess of 400 kWh, providing the fleet with a great deal of autonomy and operability throughout service.

Solaris buses have been operating in Cagliari since 2010, and the company is currently working on another contract with the same operator to supply 18 electric buses, which will be incorporated in the city's fleet this July. It should be pointed out that Italy is one of Solaris' main markets in terms of sustainable public transport vehicles. More than 1,600 Solaris vehicles are currently operating in Italy, and almost one third of these are zero emission buses, making this country one of the most important markets for the company.

CAF to extend the supply of metro units for Naples

CAF has secured an agreement with Ente Autonomo Volturno - the company responsible for the regional and metropolitan public transport service in Naples - for the supply of 6 metro units, as well as their corresponding depot parts and comprehensive maintenance of the vehicles for 3 years. These trains are intended to operate on the Piscinola/Scampia - Aversa line and eventually also on the line running from Piscinola to Miano, Secondigliano and Di Vittorio and connected to Line 1 of the Neapolitan metro network.

This agreement forms part of the framework contract between CAF and the Ente Autonomo Volturno which was entered into in mid-2020 and which comprises the supply of 10 metro units, the first four of which were ordered when it was entered into.

These are 6-car trains, with the same features and equipment as the units that CAF also previously supplied for Line 1 of the city's Metro. Designed to guarantee high efficiency,

availability and safety performance, they are noted for their capacity and easy access, being spacious and featuring unobstructed gangways for increased passenger comfort and easier passenger distribution.

Trams for the Italian city of Palermo

Finally, the project for construction of the new Palermo tramway lines A, B and C and the supply of the units that will operate on these sections has been awarded to the joint venture made up of the Italian company Sis Scpa and CAF, which has 5 months to prepare the executive project before the work begins. CAF's contribution to this project will be the manufacture and commissioning of 9 trams that will operate on the aforementioned sections of the city's tram network, with an option to extend this supply with a further 35 additional units.

The project is worth in excess of 400 million euros, which will be partially financed with funds from Patto per il Sud (Pact for the South) granted under Matteo Renzi's government in 2016.

These newly-awarded sections have been arranged in order of priority by the Municipality of Palermo such that sections C and B will be built first, while analysis must first be carried out for section A to establish which is the most suitable route. The new sections will complete the railway network in the Italian city. Section C will be an extension of the existing Line 4 to the Central Station, while section B will be an extension of Line 1, running from Notarbartolo station to via Duca della Verdura.