The contracts have a joint value of €100 million and will see CAF undertake the refurbishment of the light metro units running on line 1 in Athens and the provision of new trams for Seville.

The Athens contract will see 14 units refurbished on the Greek capital’s metro system for operator STASY S.A. This project sees a tender budget equalling €70 million and represents the first major contract for CAF in Greece.

The Athens metro Line 1 is the oldest in the city and is better known as the Green Line, connecting Piraeus to the next town of Kifisiá. The contract sets out a 34-month delivery period for the project, which will see the refurbishment of the units which were originally commissioned between 1983 and 1985. It is hoped that the project will see the units able to run efficiently for a further 25 years.

The work will see the units receive CAF Power & Automation to replace the traction equipment alongside brand new state-of-the-art motors which will bring improvements in consumption efficiency. The project will also see updates to an array of systems, some examples being systems relating to braking equipment, vehicle access door control and passenger information. The project will also bring improvements in accessibility with a full refurbishment for the interior of the unit which will see areas added for passengers with reduced mobility and is hoped to enhance both comfort and safety for customers.

The project will come under CAF’s refurbishment business which is seeing growth in recent years with work carried out for Medellín metro, Lyon metro and Paris RER A trains, as well as a contract, won last November which will see the refurbishment of 23 Cairo metro units, in partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation, and will also see the refurbishment of the line’s new maintenance depot.

The second of CAF’s contracts saw the city council of Seville awarded a contract for the supply of two new units for the city alongside their maintenance for 30 years. The contract also sees the option to increase the number of units supplied.

The trams are for operator TUSSAM and will be CAF’s 100% low floor trams which are made up of 5 modules. The vehicles will feature an on-board energy storage system which means that the trams can operate in sections with no power lines bringing improved integration of the tram in Seville whilst cutting visual impact for the historic city as trams can run catenary-free between stations which will also increase energy efficiency.

The Metrocentro de Sevilla is a public transport network which opened in 2007 and operates right through the centre of Seville, joining the San Bernardo interchange station with Plaza Nueva in the city’s historic centre. The new trams are set to be delivered before the end of 2023 and will be operational along with the network’s current fleet of 4 units which were also provided by CAF.