Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
In 1971, the company adopted its current name Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles when the existing Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) merged with Material Móvil y Construcciones (MMC).[8] MMC was a company from Zaragoza founded in 1920 but with originins at the end of the XIX century, when the family business Talleres Escoriaza joined with the French businessman Nicolás Carde to develop mechanical carpentry and specialize in the manufacture of railway and tram car bodies, such as the line to Torrero in Zaragoza.[13][14]
In 2001, CAF participated in the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail project, and around that time began its internationalization process in countries such as Hong Kong, United Kingdom, and the United States.[4] In 2002, the Comprehensive Railway Maintenance Technology Center was inaugurated.[8]
In 2004, CAF deliveried of the first variable gauge, dual-voltage high-speed train.[8] The next year, CAF achieved the first contract for the sale of a Spanish high-speed train abroad, to provide trains to the high-speed line connecting Ankara and Istanbul.[15] By 2009, CAF was already present in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, and 42% of its turnover corresponded to exports.[4] That year, presented the prototype of the Fast Charging Accumulator (FCA) system to enable light rail or tram circulation without the need for overhead power lines or catenary systems.[16] In 2011, launched the family of very high-speed trains that can reach 350 km/h, Oaris.[8]
In 2018, CAF took over the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris.[17] In 2021, SNCF Voyageurs awarded CAF a contract to supply 28 trains for the lines connecting Paris with Limoges, Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand.[18] The company also acquired the Talent 3 platform from competitor Bombardier Transportation in 2022, as well as the Coradia Polyvalent platform and the plant in Reichshoffen from train manufacturer Alstom. This was a condition imposed by the European Commission's competition authority for the approval of the 2021 takeover of Bombardier Transportation by Alstom. The same year, CAF purchased one of Alstom's factories in France, located in the town of Reichshoffen.[19]
CAF began the construction of the Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck railway depot to house the fleet of the regions of Lower Rhine and Münster in 2024, while securing a new contract with SNCF Voyageurs to supply 22 Intercités trains to cover the route between Bordeaux and Marseille.[20][18] Also, obtained contracts to supply units for the metros in Santiago, Medellín and Madrid.[18][21]
In 2025, CAF secured a contract worth nearly €100 million with the Syndicat des Mobilités de Touraine to supply 19 Urbos trams for the La Riche to Chambray-lès-Tours line, apart from receiving orders for trams in other French cities like Montpellier, Marseille and Grenoble, trains for the RER B line in Paris and for the regional trains in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, among other contracts.[22][23][24] That year, the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) announced that it had chosen CAF for a mega contract to renew its train fleet by 2034 worth several billion euros.[25] The company also signed its first project in Morocco, as well as other contracts in Taipei, Cairo, Naples and Helsinki.[26][27]
