CP launches EUR 584m tender for 12 high-speed trains
PORTUGAL: Portugal’s national rail operator Comboios de Portugal (CP) has launched a EUR 584m tender for 12 high-speed trainsets as the country prepares to open the upgraded Lisbon–Porto corridor in 2032.
The procurement, formally launched 20 May, sets a bid deadline of 2 July and targets contract award in Q1 2027. The first trains must be delivered by Q1 2031 — one year before the infrastructure is complete.
Procurement timeline and volumes
The base order covers 12 trainsets with an option for eight additional units. The EUR 584m envelope includes EUR 539m for trains and spare parts, and EUR 45m for workshop facilities. At a target speed of above 300 km/h, the fleet is designed to cut the Lisbon–Porto journey to 1h15m. Full delivery is scheduled for Q3 2032, aligned with infrastructure completion.
The tender was delayed one year by Portugal’s 2025 political crisis. The formal launch on 20 May restarts a procurement that CP and the government had been unable to advance during that period.
Gauge requirement and the supplier field
The specification is open to manufacturers without prior Iberian-gauge experience, provided they can meet the speed requirement and wheelset specification. The trainsets must operate on Iberian gauge — 1,668mm — with provision for conversion to standard European gauge via wheelset replacement.
Vehicle authorisation will run through ERA’s One-Stop Shop. Where the area of use covers more than one member state, ERA is the authorising entity; a Portugal-only authorisation may be handled by either ERA or the Portuguese national safety authority.
CP president Pedro Moreira said the operator is studying whether the new fleet could serve an integrated network model extending beyond the dedicated high-speed corridor — a decision that would affect both fleet size and operational specification, but has not yet been taken.