Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, commonly known as CAF or Grupo CAF, is a Spanish industrial group headquartered in Beasain, Gipuzkoa, with roots in the nineteenth-century ironworking and railway-manufacturing industries of the Basque Country. The modern company was founded in 1917 as Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and adopted its present name in 1971 after merging with Material Móvil y Construcciones of Zaragoza. Its historical business has been the design and manufacture of railway rolling stock, but the group has expanded into railway systems, maintenance, signaling, components, digital and engineering services, and buses through its Solaris Bus & Coach subsidiary. CAF supplies a broad range of rail vehicles. Its portfolio includes electric and diesel multiple units, regional and intercity trains, high-speed trains, metro cars, light-rail vehicles, trams, locomotives, passenger coaches, freight wagons and variable-gauge running gear. The company also develops technologies intended to reduce dependence on overhead electrification, including battery and fast-charging systems for trams and light-rail vehicles. Through maintenance and systems activities, CAF participates in the long operating life of fleets rather than limiting its role to initial vehicle delivery. The business developed substantially during Spain’s railway-investment expansion in the 1990s and 2000s. CAF used that domestic base to build technical capabilities across conventional rail, high-speed, commuter, metro and tram applications, then internationalized through contracts in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Its products have served operators and authorities in countries including Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, Turkey, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and India. CAF’s international structure includes CAF USA, established in 1998 and based in Elmira, New York; CAF Rolling Stock UK, whose Newport-area facility supports the British market; and Euromaint, a Swedish railway-maintenance company acquired in 2019. In 2018, CAF acquired Solaris Bus & Coach, adding city buses and zero- and low-emission bus platforms to the group’s mobility portfolio. In 2022, CAF acquired the Talent 3 platform and the Reichshoffen plant and Coradia Polyvalent platform from Alstom as divestments required by European competition authorities in connection with Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. CAF remains an active supplier to national railways, metropolitan transport authorities and regional operators. Its recent work has included trains for SNCF Voyageurs, Renfe, Dutch operators, French regional and intercity services, and urban systems in cities such as Madrid, Santiago, Medellín and Helsinki. The company’s positioning combines a wide product range, in-house engineering, adaptable gauge and power-system solutions, manufacturing presence in several markets, and long-term maintenance capability. Its principal challenges include the complexity of public procurement, long project cycles, stringent safety and localization requirements, competition from large multinational rail groups, and compliance obligations in infrastructure and signaling markets.

CAF’s industrial lineage reaches back to 1860, when Domingo Goitia, Martín Usabiaga and José Francisco Arana established Fábrica de Hierros San Martín in Beasain. The business initially worked in iron puddling and rolling, benefiting from its location beside a railway. In 1892, Francisco de Goitia and the Marquess of Urquijo established La Maquinista Guipuzcoana, which added machinery, forging and railway-vehicle construction. Its Beasain facilities were later absorbed by Sociedad Española de Construcciones Metálicas, which rebuilt the site as a specialized railcar factory. Production began in the new plant in 1904, and the company adopted the name Fábrica de Vagones de Beasain in 1905. The First World War generated strong demand from Belgian and French railways. On 4 March 1917, Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles was established to construct, buy, sell and lease railcars and related railway and tram equipment. CAF initially concentrated especially on freight wagons. During the 1920s, the Urquijo group consolidated its influence and CAF acquired the modernized Beasain facility. By 1929, CAF accounted for a significant share of Spanish railcar production and also manufactured electric locomotives and freight vehicles. The Spanish Civil War brought militarization of the facilities and production. After the war, CAF expanded through workshops in Irún and Madrid and in 1947 acquired part of Sociedad de Material Móvil y Construcciones in Zaragoza. From 1958 onward, the Beasain plant was modernized and enlarged, while the company broadened its range to cover nearly every major class of railway rolling stock. CAF briefly diversified into automotive manufacturing in the late 1960s by producing the Jeepster Commando for Viasa. In 1969 it created an internal research and development unit, an important step toward greater technological independence. In 1971, Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles merged with Material Móvil y Construcciones and adopted the current name, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles. The company later benefited from Spain’s extensive railway modernization and high-speed investment. Its technical scope expanded from conventional freight and passenger vehicles to commuter trains, variable-gauge equipment, high-speed trains, metros, trams, locomotives and maintenance technologies. CAF’s internationalization accelerated around the turn of the century. It participated in the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed project, established or expanded activities in markets including Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States, and opened a comprehensive railway-maintenance technology center in 2002. In 2004 it delivered a variable-gauge, dual-voltage high-speed train, and in 2005 won its first export contract for a Spanish high-speed train, supplying equipment for the Ankara–Istanbul line. By 2009, exports represented a substantial part of turnover and CAF had established a presence in several Latin American markets. The company also developed fast-charging accumulator technology for catenary-free light rail and introduced the Oaris very-high-speed platform in 2011. The group continued to broaden its geographic and product footprint. CAF USA operates from Elmira, New York, while CAF Rolling Stock UK established manufacturing capability near Newport, Wales. In 2018, the acquisition of Solaris Bus & Coach added buses and strengthened CAF’s position in integrated urban mobility. The 2019 Euromaint acquisition increased its maintenance capabilities. In 2022, CAF purchased rail platforms and the Reichshoffen plant from Alstom under divestiture arrangements associated with Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. In the 2020s, CAF continued to win rolling-stock, depot, maintenance and urban-transit contracts across Europe and other regions. Its portfolio includes trains for Renfe and SNCF Voyageurs, Civity units for Dutch operators, British passenger coaches, metros and trams for major cities, and battery-capable regional trains. The group also preserves its industrial heritage: in 2008 it donated a large collection of historical photographs, plans and drawings to the Provincial Historical Archive of Zaragoza, and its centenary was commemorated by an exhibition at the Basque Railway Museum in 2017.

1. 2022Reichshoffen operations and rail platforms acquired

   CAF acquired assets divested by Alstom, including the Reichshoffen plant and relevant train platforms.

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2. 2018Solaris acquired

   CAF acquired Solaris Bus & Coach, entering a larger role in bus and urban-mobility markets.

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3. 2005First Spanish high-speed train export contract

   CAF secured a contract to supply trains for the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed connection.

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4. 2002Railway maintenance technology center opened

   CAF inaugurated a center focused on comprehensive railway-maintenance technology.

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5. 1971Present corporate name adopted

   Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles merged with Material Móvil y Construcciones and became Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles.

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6. 1917Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles founded

   CAF was formally established on 4 March as a manufacturer and supplier of railcars and related equipment.

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7. 1892La Maquinista Guipuzcoana established

   The successor operation entered machinery, forging and railway rolling-stock manufacture.

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8. 1860Fábrica de Hierros San Martín founded

   The Beasain industrial operation that ultimately preceded CAF was established for ironworking and rolling.

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A vertically capable, internationally oriented railway-equipment group offering vehicles, systems, components and maintenance across mainline, high-speed and urban-transit applications, with buses supplied through Solaris.

• UrbosTrams and light-rail vehicles

  CAF’s Urbos family covers low-floor trams and light-rail vehicles for urban networks. Configurations can be adapted to different gauges, capacities, climates and power arrangements. The family is associated with projects in Spain, France and multiple international cities, and can incorporate energy-storage or fast-charging approaches for routes with limited or no overhead catenary.

• CivityRegional and commuter trains

  Civity is a modular family of electric and other multiple-unit trains for suburban, regional and intercity services. CAF has supplied variants to operators in the Netherlands and other markets. The platform can be configured for different power systems, interior layouts, accessibility requirements and operating environments, including networks using European Train Control System equipment.

• OarisVery-high-speed trains2011

  Oaris is CAF’s very-high-speed train family, developed for speeds of up to approximately 350 km/h. It represents the company’s effort to extend its high-speed portfolio beyond conventional and variable-gauge intercity products. CAF has continued to present the platform as an option for high-speed and very-high-speed applications.

• Variable-gauge systemsRailway components and systems

  CAF manufactures variable-gauge axles and related bogie solutions that allow compatible trains to move between rail networks with different track gauges. This technology has been particularly relevant to the Iberian railway environment, where high-speed and conventional networks have historically used different gauges.

• Solaris bus platformsBuses2018

  Through Solaris Bus & Coach, the CAF Group supplies urban and intercity buses, including low-emission and electric solutions. The acquisition broadened CAF from a rail-vehicle specialist into a supplier of multiple forms of public transport and urban mobility.

• 2022Acquisition of Alstom-divested rail assetsM&A

  European competition authorities required Alstom to divest certain assets following its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation.

  What changed. CAF acquired the Talent 3 platform, the Reichshoffen plant and the Coradia Polyvalent platform.

  Aftermath. CAF added manufacturing capacity in France and expanded its train-platform portfolio.

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• 2019Acquisition of EuromaintM&A

  CAF pursued greater international scale in railway fleet maintenance.

  What changed. CAF announced the acquisition of Swedish maintenance company Euromaint.

  Aftermath. The transaction expanded CAF’s maintenance presence and service capabilities in Europe.

  Reported acquisition consideration. approximately €80 million (2019)

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• 2018Acquisition of Solaris Bus & CoachM&A

  CAF wanted to broaden its mobility offering beyond railway rolling stock.

  What changed. CAF acquired Polish bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach.

  Aftermath. The group gained a significant bus and urban-mobility business alongside its rail operations.

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• 1969Creation of an internal research and development unitStrategy

  CAF sought to strengthen its technical capabilities and reduce dependence on externally developed railway technologies.

  What changed. The company established a dedicated research and development unit.

  Aftermath. The move supported later work in high-speed trains, variable-gauge systems, urban vehicles and energy-storage technologies.

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• 2021CAF Signalling rail-infrastructure cartel fineControversy

  The Spanish competition authority fined CAF Signalling €1.7 million over participation in a cartel with other international companies concerning tenders for Spanish rail infrastructure.

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• 2025CAF wins new tram and rail projects in France and abroad

  Reported awards included 19 Urbos trams for Tours, projects in other French cities, Paris RER B trains, regional trains, and contracts in Morocco, Taiwan, Egypt, Italy and Finland.

  Product launch
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• 2024CAF expands French and European order book

  CAF began construction of a depot in Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck for regional fleets and won further SNCF, metro and regional-train work.

  Product launchOther
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• 2022CAF acquires railway platforms and Reichshoffen plant from Alstom

  CAF acquired the Talent 3 platform and Alstom’s Reichshoffen operations, including the Coradia Polyvalent platform, as part of European competition remedies.

  M&A
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• 2021CAF receives SNCF Voyageurs train contract

  SNCF Voyageurs awarded CAF a contract for 28 trains serving routes from Paris toward Limoges, Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand.

  Product launch
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• 2019CAF announces acquisition of Euromaint

  The group announced the purchase of Swedish railway-maintenance company Euromaint, strengthening its fleet-service activities.

  M&A
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• 2018CAF acquires Solaris Bus & Coach

  CAF expanded from rail vehicles into buses by taking over Polish manufacturer Solaris.

  M&A
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1. Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles