During a European tender, the Spanish train manufacturer CAF has been designated by NS as the preferred supplier for the delivery of 60 new double-decker trains with single-decker carriages.
Four renowned train manufacturers submitted a valid offer during the last round of the tender (the so-called Best and Final Offer). CAF scored the best of the four parties on the combination of the applicable price and quality criteria, which took into account, among other things, investment costs, reliability, maintainability of the trains, energy efficiency, design of the train for passengers/staff and support after delivery. .
If CAF is ultimately the winner of the tender, the Spanish builder will once again be a supplier of trains for NS. In 2014 it was announced that NS had ordered Sprinters (SNG) from the same company. This later led to a second order with a total of 206 sets delivered.
Waiting period
In the coming weeks, a period will start in which the other parties, who are not the preferred bidder, can appeal against the intended award. As long as this term is running, NS cannot make any substantive announcements about the award. After this, NS will start negotiations with CAF to finalize the final contract for the double-decker buses. After this contract has been signed at the end of this year, the design phase will start with the manufacturer in order to finalize the design. An extensive phase of production, testing/approval and testing then starts.
The new double-deckers to be purchased will eventually replace some of the current NS double-deckers (DDZ) and should start running from 2028.
High capacity and accessibility
The tender concerns a train consisting of both single-decker and double-decker carriages that combines the need for high capacity with good accessibility and is suitable for speeds of up to 160 km/h. In total, the basic order concerns 30 double-deckers of four carriages in length and 30 double-deckers of six carriages in length, with a total of approximately 30,000 seats. In addition, there is the possibility to further expand the park in the future with various options for additional orders and to order similar trains for cross-border traffic.
