TheCAF Urbos is a family oftrams,streetcars, andlight rail vehicles built byCAF. TheSpanish manufacturer CAF previously made locomotives, passenger cars, regional, and underground trains. In 1993, CAF started building trams forMetrovalencia, with the delivery of 16 trams until 1999. This was a variant of aSiemens design and some components were delivered by Siemens, including bogies and traction motors. This design was also sold toLisbon Trams in 1995; CAF then decided to design and build the Urbos in-house.
There are three generations of the CAF Urbos, namely the Urbos 1, Urbos 2, and Urbos 3. The first generation was ordered by theBilbao tram operator, who received eight trams between 2002 and 2004. The second generation was sold to other operators in Spain, and the third generation is sold in Spain, elsewhere in Europe, the United States, Australia and in the UK. Manufacturing locations includeBeasain,Zaragoza andLinares, Spain;Elmira, New York, USA;Hortolandia, Brazil;Newport, UK;Huehuetoca, Mexico; andBagnères-de-Bigorre, France.[1]
This series was only sold toEuskotren Tranbia to operatetram services inBilbao.[2] The original Bilbao tram system was shut down in 1964 and the second generation opened in December 2002 with extensions in 2004.[3]
| Location | System | Entered service | Gauge | Car body construction | Quantity | Notes[citation needed] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain | Bilbao tram andVitoria-Gasteiz tram | 2008 | Metre | Aluminium | 11 | 3 units operate in Bilbao, while 8 operate in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Locally designated the Euskotren 500 series. |
| Seville, Spain | Seville Metro -Line 1 | 2009 | Standard | Steel | 21 | 5 units transferred from MetroCentro 3 units transferred from Sydney |
| Antalya, Turkey | AntRay | Aluminium | 14 | Standard gauge variation of the Bilbao/Vitoria-Gasteiz version |
| Location | System | In service | Quantity | Notes[citation needed] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vélez-Málaga, Spain | Vélez-Málaga Tram | 2006–2012 | 3 | Transferred toSydney |
| Seville, Spain | MetroCentro | 2007–2011 | 5 | 4 units transferred toMetro line 1 1 unit transferred to Sydney |
| Sydney, Australia | L1 Dulwich Hill line | Mar–Jul 2014 | 4 | Transferred to Seville Metro line 1 |
| CAF Urbos 3 | |
|---|---|
 Urbos 3 tram inBesançon | |
| Manufacturer | Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles |
| Constructed | 2011–present |
| Predecessor | CAF Urbos 2 |
| Capacity | 129-327 seated and standing total, depending on tram length |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 18–56 m (59 ft 1 in – 183 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 2,300–2,650 mm (7 ft6+9⁄16 in – 8 ft8+5⁄16 in) |
| Floor height | 356 mm (14 in) |
| Low-floor | 70–100% |
| Doors | 8-20, depending on tram length |
| Articulated sections | 2-9[5] |
| Maximum speed | 70–80 km/h (43–50 mph) |
| Weight | 34,860 kg (76,850 lb) (3-car tram)[6] |
| Traction system | IGBT–VVVF |
| Electric system(s) | 600–750 V DC fromoverhead catenary Internal supercapacitor (Kaohsiung) |
| Current collection | Pantograph |
| Bogies | fixed |
| Minimum turning radius | 18 m (59 ft 1 in) (3-car tram) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge or1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge |
The CAF Urbos 3 is the successor of the Urbos 2; all new sales are of Urbos 3. The standard variants, the Urbos 100 and Urbos 70, have either a 100% or 70%low floor design, respectively, and a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). The tram type is offered inmetre gauge andstandard gauge and allows for a tram width of2,300, 2,400 or 2,650 mm (7 ft6+9⁄16 in, 7 ft10+1⁄2 in or 8 ft8+5⁄16 in). Trams can be assembled from 3, 5, 7 or (only for the Urbos 100) 9 modules, with the length ranging between 23 and 56 metres (75 and 184 ft).[7]
CAF has developed an option to build 'Greentech Freedrive'lithium-ionsupercapacitors and batteries into the Urbos 3,[8] allowing brief operation without an external electrical supply.[9] This ACR system (Acumulador de Carga Rápida) allowed the tramway operator in Seville to remove the overhead wires in key locations during Holy Week 2011.[10] It has also been used inLuxembourg, Granada, Zaragoza and the West Midlands.[11]
In 2024, a CAF Urbos fleet of 40 light rail trains were transported fromCuiabá,Mato Grosso, in Brazil toSalvador, Bahia, following a deal to build the newSalvador LRT system (3 lines, under construction), to replace an old suburban train and a failed ChineseBYD Skyrail project bid. The deal followed alawsuit agreement between theBrazilian states governments (Bahia and Mato Grosso) becauseCuiabá LRT system construction delays for the2014 FIFA World Cup were so significant that it was replaced by aBRT system in Cuiabá.
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| City, Country | Quantity | Order value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | |||
| Antwerp,Belgium | 58 | ||
| Coast Tram, Belgium | 48 | Delivered 2020–2021[12] Name: Zeelijner | |
| Ghent, Belgium | 18 | ||
| Liège, Belgium | €360 million[13] | ||
| Besançon,France | 19 | €34.4 million | [14] |
| Nantes, France | 8 | €22 million | Option for 4 more trams for €10 million[15] |
| Freiburg im Breisgau,Germany | 17 | [16][17][18] plus 8 more ordered[19] | |
| Budapest,Hungary | 73+20 | €90 million | Option for 31 more trams[20][21][22] |
| Debrecen, Hungary | 18 | [23] | |
| Cagliari,Italy | 3 | €7.7 million | In service since 2018[24] |
| Luxembourg,Luxembourg | 21 | €83.0 million | In service since 2017[25] |
| Amsterdam,Netherlands | 72[26] | Initial order was 63 in 2016.[27] In operation from January 2021.[28] | |
| Utrecht, Netherlands | 27 | To be operational in 2018[29] | |
| 22 | To be operational in 2020 | ||
| Oslo,Norway | 87 | kr 4.2 billion[30] | Locally designated asSL18. First two were delivered in 2020. In operation from January 2022, with trial period of 5 months.[31] Option for 60 more.[32] |
| Lisbon,Portugal | 15 | €43 million[33] | Delivery began in April 2023 and will be complete during 2024.[34] |
| Belgrade,Serbia | 30 | €70 million | [35] |
| Granada,Spain | 13 | €43.9 million | Option for 4 more trams |
| Málaga, Spain | 14 | [36] | |
| Seville, Spain | 5 | MetroCentro line, 1 reserved | |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain | 7 | Locally designated the Euskotren 600 series. | |
| Zaragoza, Spain | 21 | [37] | |
| Lund,Sweden | 7 | 297 millionSEK[38] | In service since December 2020 |
| West Midlands,England,United Kingdom | 42[39] | £40 million | |
| Edinburgh,Scotland, United Kingdom | 27 | [40] | |
| Salvador, Brazil | 40 | ||
| North America | |||
| Calgary,Alberta,Canada | 28 | For use on theGreen Line LRT. To be delivered in 2027.[41] | |
| Cincinnati,Ohio,United States | 5 | $25 million | [42] |
| Kansas City,Missouri, United States | 14 | Total fleet size of 14 by 2025[43][44][45] | |
| Omaha,Nebraska, United States | 6 | $54 million | For use on theOmaha Streetcar. Option for a further 29 trams.[46] |
| Seattle,Washington, United States | 10 | $50 million | [44] Order was canceled in 2019 amid escalating cost projections for the planned new line for which they were intended.[47] |
| Asia | |||
| Kaohsiung,Taiwan | 9 | ACR system built in; no need for catenary[48] | |
| Middle East | |||
| Jerusalem,Israel | 114 | Urbos 100. ForRed Line extension andGreen Line.[49] Operational on the Red Line since 2025 | |
| Tel Aviv, Israel | 98 | ForPurple Line.[50] To be operational 2027 | |
| Oceania | |||
| Canberra, ACT,Australia | 14 | A$65 million | 5-module 100. Delivered 2018, operational April 2019[51] |
| Newcastle, NSW, Australia | 6 | 5-module 100 supercapacitor wire free. Delivered 2018–19[52] | |
| Sydney, NSW, Australia | 16 | A$20 million (1st order) | 5-module 100. Initial order for 6 trams; subsequently increased to 12.[53] Four more trams for the line were ordered from CAF in June 2021,[54] they entered service in 2023.[55] Operates on theInner West Light Rail. |
| 13 | 7-module 100 battery wire free, operating on Stage 1 of theParramatta Light Rail since December 2024[56] | ||
| Africa | |||
| Mauritius | 18 | €100 million | In service since December 2019[57] |
In December 2017, theBesançon Tramway inBesançon,France, discovered cracks in theirUrbos 3s vehicles around thebogie box area of the bodies, which in December 2020 CAF paid for remedial work to be performed with each unit affected requiring one month downtime for the work to be completed.[58]
On 11 June 2021, theWest Midlands Metro (operating betweenBirmingham andWolverhampton,England) were forced to suspend their services due to similar cracks being discovered in thebogie box areas of theirUrbos 3s vehicles, with ongoing investigations continuing to identify any other issues relating to the cracks and to find options for remedial works to be performed.[58]
Following on from these instances, in November 2021 theNew South Wales transport ministerRob Stokes announced that theSydney L1 Dulwich Hill Line would be decommissioned for up to 18 months, due to serious design flaws in all 12 of the CAFUrbos 3s tram sets that were running on the line. Stokes stated that the flaws (in the bogie boxes) were likely to be far broader in scope than those identified in Sydney due to the thousands of the same tram type operated around the world.[59]
Similar issues relating to cracks in the bogie box area were discovered in the Urbos 3 vehicles supplied to theBelgrade Tramway Network.[58]
The discovery of further cracks in the West Midlands trams led to service being suspended again from 12 November 2021[60] to December 2021.[61]
Following vehicle inspections, services in the West Midlands were again suspended on 20 March 2022 until further notice due to cracks described by the operator as 'bodywork cracks'.[62] Midland Metro was working directly with the manufacturer to assess the safety and operational impact.
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Vehicles in the Urbos AXL series have longer car-body sections andpivotingbogies. With a maximum speed of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), it is designed for high-capacity, massrapid transit systems.[7] This type of tram is currently in use only in two Northern European countries:
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![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2023) |
The Urbos TT series is built withtram-train technology, connecting existingheavy rail infrastructure directly tourban tramway systems.[7]
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2023) |
A three-section articulated car supported by three bogies, the LRV variant of Urbos is designed for theNorth American market and is customizable.
The LRTA 13000 class is a high-floor light rail vehicle variant of the Urbos. 120 units were ordered for theLRT Line 1medium-capacity rail system inMetro Manila,Philippines.[66] It was designed by CAF along withMitsubishi Corporation and built at CAF's facilities inCorella, Spain, andHuehuetoca, Mexico.[67] The trains were progressively delivered from 2021 onwards, entering service by 20 July 2023. It replaced the aging, forty-year-oldLRTA 1000 class LRVs.[68]
