“Following a European public procurement procedure launched in 2022 for the purchase of new multiple units, the Board of Directors of NMBS / SNCB decided this Friday to award the framework agreement to the manufacturer CAF“, a press release says.  

“A first order has also been placed for an amount of €1.7 billion, covering the delivery of 180 new multiple units, representing 54,000 seats. The contract provides that the first units will enter service in 2030. The framework agreement concluded with CAF covers a total order of up to a maximum of 170,000 seats and has a duration of 12 years.”

“The MR30 / AM30 units will gradually replace older rolling stock, which is more prone to defects. The trains will offer passengers all necessary comfort. They will be independently accessible for persons with reduced mobility and will be equipped with quiet zones, information screens, connectivity and sufficient space for bicycles. The order also includes battery-powered trains, which are intended in the longer term to replace the current diesel multiple units.”

CAF?

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles or CAF is a rolling stock manufacturer from the Basque Country in Spain. 

The choice for CAF was or is (?) controversial. Alstom loses out, but with plants in Bruges and Charleroi, politicians and unions pleaded to allocate the contract to the manufacturer from France.

Siemens was the other applicant. It’s Desiro trains would have matched the existing MR08 / AM08 Desiro rolling stock in use by the Belgian Railways since 2012. 

All three also deal with the State of Israel. But CAF constructed a tramway in occupied territories, which angers advocates for Palestine and Gaza.

MR30 / AM30

The name ‘MR30 / AM30’, Motorrijtuig 30 and Automotrice 30, derives from the year the new trains are expected to roll into service. 

But will that deadline be kept? The Siemens Desiro, MR08 / AM08 are named after the year 2008, but debuted in Aalst (Alost) around Carnival time 2012. 

The AM30 / MR30 case

• NMBS / SNCB to order 180 CAF Civity trains, including battery-powered sets.
• BELGIUM | Council of State backs NMBS / SNCB’s choice of Spanish CAF for multi-billion train order.
• NMBS / SNCB’s AM30 / MR30 order faces political and legal headwinds as costs of delay mount.
• BELGIUM | NMBS / SNCB confirms CAF as preferred bidder for AM30.
• Spanish CAF to provide trains for NMBS / SNCB AM30.
• VIDEO | NS present CAF Civity Duo ‘Dubbeldekker Nieuwe Generatie’, poised to be the NMBS / SNCB AM30.
• NMBS / SNCB 2030 AM30 three-car units to feature battery option for cross-border routes.