Belgian rail to award “contract of the century” for 600 new trains on 23 July

Belgian rail operator SNCB will decide on 23 July whether to award a multi-billion-euro contract for 600 new trains to a Spanish company, federal mobility minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) has announced.

The tender process for the replacement of half of SNCB's fleet by 2032 for a budget of between €1.85 and €3.4 billion has drawn criticism as it threatens Belgian jobs, reports RTBF/Belga.

In March, Belgium’s rail company chose Spanish manufacturer CAF over Siemens and Alstom Benelux, which employs some 3,000 people in Belgium, including more than 600 in Bruges. The decision by SNCB was suspended by the Council of State for "lack of transparency".

Several MPs on Wednesday reiterated the need to include a local preference criterion in the tender process in order to preserve jobs in Belgium. Crucke dismissed this proposal, pointing out that "European law does not allow an advantage to be granted to a local company," at the risk of discrimination.

He said a two-year delay in decision-making would represent "an additional €170 to €200 million in costs for SNCB." The earliest the new trains could be delivered following a quick decision would not be until 2029 or 2030, he added.

The Belgian rail operator launched a call for tenders in late 2022 to build hundreds of new AM30 trains, used to operate suburban S and Intercity IC services. SNCB said it was "of great importance for the renewal of the rolling stock and to respond to growth in passenger numbers".