METRO Bilbao is planning an investment programme worth between €700m and €800m, according to the Basque provincial government. The project marks the start of procuring a second generation fleet of 37 trains for the 30-year-old, 51km three-line network, as well as upgraded signalling and communications systems and progress on future Lines 4 and 5.
The president of the Bizkaia Transport Consortium (CTB) and head of the provincial council, Elixabete Etxanobe, says a technical specification document outlining the requirements for the new trains will be completed before the end of the year. This will allow CTB to launch the tender process, which is expected to be one of the largest metro fleet contracts in Spain.
Metro Bilbao operates a fleet of 46 trains manufactured by CAF, 37 of which will be replaced under the renewal programme, according to Metro Bilbao managing director, Eneko Arruebarrena.
The new trains will each consist of five cars, standardising the fleet and increasing capacity by up to 15%. They will also be equipped with sensors capable of transmitting real-time data, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing energy consumption by 35%.
“These units will be able to measure and communicate almost everything, representing a genuine transformation in how we maintain and operate the metro,” Arruebarrena says.
The investment programme also involves modernising the network’s signalling and control systems.
Metro Bilbao plans to introduce CBTC, which will enhance automation, safety and service capacity. The operations control centre will also be upgraded to manage the higher data and performance demands associated with the new system.
According to preliminary plans presented in 2024, the manufacturing schedule would allow for the delivery of around 12 trains per year, enabling all new trains to be delivered within five years of the contract award. The first new trains are therefore expected to enter service between 2027 and 2028, with the whole new fleet operational by 2033.
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