The Spanish Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, along with the President of Renfe, Raül Blanco, recently visited Alstom's Industrial Center in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, where they observed the manufacturing process of the 201 new high capacity commuter trains Alstom is producing for Renfe.
Alstom has employed over 500 new professionals in Catalonia over the past two years, and the factory is expected to reach peak activity during the fiscal years 2025-2026, coinciding with the full-scale manufacturing of these new commuter trains.
During their factory visit, Puente and Blanco were shown the first complete unit of the new trains, currently in the static testing phase. The production of these trains is not only expected to secure workload for the coming years but also involves an ambitious investment plan, which has enabled a growth and industrial transformation plan at Santa Perpètua based on personnel, industrial capital, digitalization, and sustainability.
This project has also led to an increase in indirect employment in Catalonia. Alstom works with over 230 local suppliers and has spent more than 212 million euros on purchases from Catalan suppliers in the last year.
The new six-car trains (four single-floor and two double-floor) will accommodate over 900 passengers. They will feature 12 doors on each side, wider and uniformly distributed, to streamline the passenger boarding and alighting process, thus reducing station stop times and increasing the network's transport capacity.
Equipped with Wi-Fi, the trains will be fully accessible to passengers with reduced mobility, offering dedicated spaces for wheelchairs, as well as multifunctional areas for bicycles, luggage, and baby strollers.
The advanced technology used in the new vehicles will improve the reliability and punctuality of the network. The implemented technology will also enable real-time data collection from the entire fleet, enhancing operational decision-making and ultimately improving service for users of the Cercanías and Rodalies networks.
Production of the first three units is underway, with these trains expected to begin trial runs in the coming months, initiating the validation and certification process of the new rolling stock. Following this phase, serial production of the remaining 198 units will commence, with Renfe expecting to receive between three and four trains each month.
