CAF Group wins Tel Aviv tram Purple Line project

NTA (Metropolitan Mass Transit Systems) has chosen the transport consortium made up of the CAF Group and the construction firm Shapir for the Tel Aviv LRV Purple Line.

NTA is the company in charge of providing the most appropriate solutions to meet transport demands in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is currently building the main public transport system in the Gush Dan area, the largest transport project ever undertaken in Israel, in terms of both volume and complexity.

The Purple Line project forms part of the Gush Dan ambitious plan for the Israeli metropolis, consisting of the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the city’s LRV system for a term of 25 years. The investment volume is estimated to be in excess of €1.015 Billion.

The new line will cover 27 kilometres connecting a planned total of 45 stations, and will also include a depot where maintenance work will be carried out on the fleet of vehicles. The Purple Line will run from Complex 2000, in the centre of Tel Aviv next to the Arolozorov train station, to connect the city centre with the eastern part of the metropolitan area, with the end section of the line branching off to the Bar Ilan University area in one direction and to the neighbouring city of Yehud-Monoson in the other.

Aside from the construction of the line, the scope of the contract also includes the design and supply of 98 new low-floor Urbos trams, each consisting of 5 modules, spanning a length of almost 35 metres. There is also an option to extend the contract for a further 32 units in the future. The scope of the project for the awarded consortium also includes the supply of the signalling, energy and communication systems, as well as maintenance of the line for a term of 25 years.

The CAF Group’s portion of this project exceeds €525M and consists of the design and production of the new units, the supply of signalling, energy and communication systems in addition to project integration. The Group will also have a 50% stake in the SPV company that will manage the maintenance of the line. The new line is expected to be fully operational by 2027, providing one of the most cutting edge and efficient public transport networks for the inhabitants of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

The CAF Group’s commitment to comprehensive projects

Currently, a substantial number of projects tendered on the railway market involve a scope involving more than just the supply of units. The next few years will see a significant increase in these types of projects, according to the latest forecasts published by UNIFE (The European Rail Supply Industry Association).

These are what are known as comprehensive or turnkey projects: complex systems that involve a wider range of activities. These typically include activities related to system design, construction and commissioning (D&B – Design & Build), including the supply of part or all of the relevant infrastructure (civil work, substations, telecommunications, signalling, ticketing, etc.) and the associated rolling stock. Also, in certain cases, these projects may include a subsequent stage involving both system operation and maintenance of the supplied vehicles (O&M – Operate & Maintain). Should the customer so require, all of the above also includes project financing solutions by means of the different structuring options available. CAF guarantees the integration and compatibility of all the project’s subsystems at all times.

Over the past few years, the CAF Group, drawing on its knowledge and experience in the railway sector, has developed a significant number of complex railway projects, which, aside from requiring significant technological training, must also offer a wide range of implementation solutions.

Projects such as the Mexico City Suburban Railway, the intercity train project connecting Toluca and the Mexican capital city, the tram system for Kaohsiung in Taiwan, the Parramatta LRV and the NSW regional trains project, both for the Australian state of New South Wales, or the project for the construction of the first tram line for the Belgian city of Liège – all having been executed in different parts of the world – are testament to CAF’s aforementioned capacity to successfully complete these types of projects.