CATALONIA Government Railways (FGC) has awarded Stadler a contract to supply seven Tramlink V3 LRVs for the first section of the planned 46km Camp de Tarragona light rail network west of Barcelona.
Including full-service maintenance over 15 years, the contract is worth €59.7m. Deliveries of the 1435mm-gauge LRVs are due to be completed within 36 months of the contract being signed.
The five-section bi-directional LRVs will be 33.6m long and 100% low-floor, with six double doors per side. Each LRV will be able to accommodate up to 211 passengers, with 54 seats, 10 tip-up seats and two wheelchair spaces. There will be one multifunctional area with space for up to four bicycles.
With a maximum speed of 81km/h, the LRVs will take power at 750V dc from the overhead supply. They will also be equipped with lithium titanium oxide (LTO) batteries, giving a range of up to 9.9km on sections of the new network where overhead electrification equipment will not be installed.
New network
Marking FGC’s debut as a light rail operator, the 46km Camp de Tarragona network will serve a total of 47 stops including 10 interchanges. Eventually connecting the cities of Reus and Tarragona and serving Reus Airport, it is expected to be used by 9.5 million passengers a year.
The first phase of the project comprises a 14km section with 14 stops, running mainly on a disused railway alignment from the railway station at Cambrils to the station at Vila-seca. There will also be an interchange with heavy rail services at Salou-Port Aventura.
On July 2 the Catalan regional government awarded a €15.8m contract to an undisclosed bidder, covering preliminary civil engineering work on the first phase. This includes utility diversion, earthmoving and structures such as a new 112m-long bridge over the A7 in Vila-seca. Work is due to start next month for completion within 20 months.
Later this year, tenders will be called for contracts covering civil engineering and railway systems work from Cambrils station to the centre of Cambrils, and for the section from Cambrils to Vila-seca. A contract to build the fleet maintenance depot and control centre for the Camp de Tarragona network at Vila-seca will also be tendered, following award of a design contract in November 2024.
Costing a total of €245m, the first phase of the new network is expected to enter service during the first quarter of 2028. The regional government says that administrative work is in progress for the second phase, connecting Reus with Tarragona and serving Reus Airport.
“The Camp de Tarragona network will bring about a spectacular change in public transport in the Tarragona metropolitan area,” says FGC president, Carles Ruiz Novella.
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