Bucharest subway operator buys 16 new trains for EUR 97 million

The Bucharest subway operator Metrorex announced it had finalized evaluating the offers submitted in the bid to acquire and operate 16 new trains. The trains will be provided by Spanish company Construcciones Y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A (CAE) for EUR 97 million without VAT.

The final assembly of the trains, which are designed and built by the Spanish company, will take place in Romania. The new subway trains will gradually replace, in the course of three years, the previous Astra-type trains built before 1990 and presently running on Bucharest’s 3 subway line.

With this new acquisition of trains Metrorex is finalizing another stage in the effort to modernize the Bucharest subway network through the introduction of 60 new trains. Next year, Metrorex plans to buy another 21 new trains which will run on the 5 subway line, connecting Drumul Taberei to Eroilor station. The acquisition is financed through an agreement signed with EBRD in 2009.