Spanish succession

“For the rolling stock market you can estimate that there’s going to be orders ranging from 120-150 vehicles through to much larger orders. This is fine as far as CAF is concerned, as we are quite happy to operate with low numbers as well as high numbers. (As an example, CAF delivered 20 three-car sets of Class 4000 DMU vehicles into Northern Ireland and 340 cars to Caracas, Venezuela).

But what can CAF offer? 

Garner adds: “Perhaps CAF as a brand is not as well recognised as that of some of our main competitors. That’s because CAF only specialises in rolling stock and railway technology. We don´t make aeroplanes, fridges, mobile phones or televisions.”

Is this a problem? Garner replies: “Globally our customers continue to order more trains from us. Delighting our customers is key to our DNA.

“I think, to be fair, the portfolio shows we have a number of strong platforms that we can offer across the UK market. We have solutions that are competitive worldwide. One of CAF’s strengths is its ability to provide bespoke highly engineered solutions to suit client requirements, rather than merely provide ‘standard’ products.”

CAF is one of a handful of rolling stock suppliers that are capable of manufacturing a variable gauge bogie allowing trains to operate on standard 1435mm gauge track as well as broader gauge track found throughout continental Europe. This product is named BRAVA. CAF is very proud to chair the UIC Committee on Bogie design.

High Speed is one such potential business opportunity. CAF has high-speed trains operating across the globe. 

Recently, CAF was awarded a contract to provide trains travelling at 250kph (155mph) to connect Oslo to Oslo Airport. Those trains will use CAF`s OARIS High Speed platform that has been developed to operate at speeds up to 350kph (217mph). 

It is also involved in HS2 consultation work, discussing train designs and how contracts should be structured commercially. Last month, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill led a party including HS2 Chief Executive Simon Kirby on a fact-finding visit, as Spain has the second largest network of high-speed railways in the world. During the visit they inspected CAF`s OARIS train. 

Says Garner: “If you look specifically at rolling stock, CAF’s portfolio includes high-speed trains, regional trains, metros and LRVs, the largest market being regional trains. We have just completed an order for 38 three-car EMU sets for Auckland (New Zealand), as well as six diesel push-pull trains of 11 or 15 vehicles composition for Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) - the latter are manufactured with dedicated prayer room and leather seats with integral mobile and laptop charging points.

The Urbos tram has recently entered into service in Birmingham, and will soon connect the new Birmingham New Street station to Snow Hill. 

“The current reference list for contracts with trams must be in the order of 30 projects.” Last week CAF announced that it had just delivered trams to the city of Budapest (Hungary) - at 56 metres in length, they are the longest trams in the world.

Garner also discusses contracts for refurbishment: “We have had companies approach us in the UK to discuss potential opportunities in the train refurbishment market. There are options to operate out of the customer’s facility, but our focus mainly is working on new rolling stock opportunities. If the right opportunity for train refurbishment presented itself to us, then we would, of course, consider it. 

Another option could be maintenance. “In the UK, new vehicles typically require either train maintenance or a technical support contract. Customers are looking more and more at long-term warranties for the whole life of the asset. “Therefore we need to have a long-term view, a long-term vision and be there to support our customers.”

CAF doesn’t just deliver trains. Garner talks of modernising a range of networks - metros, tramways and suburban railways. For example, CAF delivered the Line 1 of the Suburban Railway that links Mexico City with four neighbouring regions, acting as the prime contractor supplying not only new trains, but also 27km (17 miles) of new railway, including stations, bridges, signaling and electrification. 

Additionally CAF, in a consortium with Thales, is upgrading part of the metro system in Santiago (Chile), the busiest metro system in South America. CAF is providing new trains that are being integrated with a new GoA4 signalling control

Garner also talks of the technology developed by CAF Power and Automation. “Super capacitors - energy storage systems with the capability of storing the energy effectively - are used to charge trams on the go. You can pull into a station stop and inject some energy onto the tram (which takes just a few seconds) and then onto the next station.

“Alternative systems use battery technology - if you have more time to ‘top up’ the batteries with a trickle of recharge to maintain the battery charge, then these systems can be used on trams to travel longer distances than (say) with supercapacitors.

“The city of Zaragoza is operating CAF trams with super-capacitors. I was surprised at how different the tram network looks when the catenary is not there. In addition to the obvious visual benefits, you don’t have the overhead line and the infrastructure work costs. It gives options to look at routes that previously infrastructure constraints may well have made them not viable.” 

He adds: “CAF is currently supplying a catenary free tram system to Taiwan’s second city Kaoshiung, which boosts the energy on the tram for a few seconds while it is stationary at each tram stop.”

So, going back to that original statement: since the Heathrow Express trains were delivered, exactly how has the company grown?  

“We’ve been growing in all aspects of the rail market,” Garner concludes.

Over the past decade or so, CAF has changed the shape of the company, described by Garner as “bringing new products online, for new markets. We can see that there’s a requirement for a large number of vehicles in a few years here in the UK, so the market is going to be an exciting place.”  

• This feature was published in RAIL 786 on October 28 2016.