Most work on building new trains for CP has to be done locally using national companies

  • Lusa
  • 21 October 2021

At stake is the tender for CP - Comboios de Portugal to buy 117 electric trains, of which 62 for urban services and 55 for regional services.

The specifications for the purchase of trains for CP want bidders to “realise” that they will have to do a large part of the work in Portugal and with Portuguese companies, said the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing.

In a speech marking the launch of the Railway Skills Centre (CCF) in Guifões, Matosinhos, Pedro Nuno Santos began by saying that there is “a very challenging European legislation”, which almost seems to exist “to ensure the division of labour that exists is maintained”, that is, with tourism, textiles, footwear and others being carried out in Portugal, while “trains and planes are the Germans and French”, he criticised.

“Anything we can put in the specifications can be used to challenge it,” he admitted, indicating that the rules “are very difficult” in this matter.

“What we have been doing is, within European law, exploring all possibilities so that whoever wants to sell to Portugal knows that they have to do something here. We cannot guarantee that this will happen, but rather that the conditions are in place for bidders to understand that, in order to sell to Portugal, they have to do some of the work here,” he stressed.

At stake is the tender for CP – Comboios de Portugal to buy 117 electric trains, of which 62 for urban services and 55 for regional services.

The Cabinet authorised spending of up to 819 million euros, plus VAT, to buy the 117 trains and also determined that CP may include in the tender documents the right to opt to purchase up to 36 additional units for urban services.

“We have the right, ambition and the capacity to produce here, we have the best that there is in the world,” he stressed.

The minister also believes that manufacturers will have “the ability to establish themselves to supply Portugal, but also use Portugal as a base to export all over the world”.

“If we can get our companies to gain skills in the industry, (…) tomorrow we will have Portuguese companies that do not make a train, but will be suppliers of train builders,” Pedro Nuno Santos noted.

The minister argued that if the country was going to “invest in the railway,” Portugal should benefit” from the investment.

“Portugal is “great at importing, to get out of the crooked tree” we need to “produce and sell here” and then start selling abroad.

The minister was at the presentation of the CCF, which will provide training, incubate companies and work in research in the rail sector and is due to start in 2022.