Alstom plans Portugal assembly in CP high-speed bid

Alstom said its bid to supply high-speed trains to Portuguese state rail operator CP includes a role for its new plant in Guifões, Matosinhos, in the assembly process, tying one of Portugal’s biggest rail tenders to local manufacturing capacity. The French group is competing against Spain’s Talgo for a contract covering up to 20 trains.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Alstom Portugal chief executive David Torres said the company would use the know-how of the Guifões factory in building the trains in Portugal. Project development would be handled at Alstom’s Savigliano plant in northern Italy, where the Pendolino trains used on Portugal’s Alfa Pendular service were produced, while the Portuguese unit would follow a similar assembly and testing model, he said.

CP launched the tender in May 2026 for 12 high-speed trains, with an option for eight more, under a contract with a base price of €504 million. Alstom and Talgo are the two pre-qualified bidders, and the deadline for final offers has been extended to January 29 at the companies’ request. Alstom said it will bid with the Avelia Stream platform, configured with fixed Iberian gauge, and said the first delivery would be in the first quarter of 2031.

The Guifões factory is being built as part of Alstom’s contract to supply 153 new regional and suburban trains to CP, 81 of which will be assembled at the new site in the Matosinhos area. The 20,000-square-metre plant is due to be completed in 2028, with 300 employees, under a €29 million investment that rises to nearly €40 million including tools and other equipment.

Originally published at Eco.pt