The Trans Jerusalem J-Net Ltd consortium, formed by the CAF Group and the construction company Shapir Eng & Industry, has been awarded the Jerusalem light rail project for an amount that exceeds 1.8 billion euros, as reported by the Gipuzkoa business group yesterday.
The part of the supply by CAF reaches 500 million euros and includes the manufacture of 114 new Urbos trams and the rehabilitation of the 46 units currently in service.
The project, developed under the PPP (Public-Private Project) modality, also includes the construction of 27 new kilometers of track, 53 new stations and several deposits, which encompass both the extension of the current Red Line at 6.8 kilometers, and the execution of the new Green Line, which will have 20.6 kilometers of travel.
The selected consortium will complete its scope in the project with the supply of signaling, energy and communications systems, as well as with the operation and maintenance of both lines, in the case of the operation of the system for a period of 15 years, with possibility of extension, and 25 years for the maintenance activity.
The amount of the part of the supply for Grupo CAF exceeds 500 million euros and covers both the manufacture of new units and the rehabilitation of existing ones, as well as the supply of signaling, energy and communications systems, and the integration of draft.
To this we must add its 50% stake in the SPV company, which will manage the operation and maintenance of the two lines and whose turnover during the contracted period is estimated at approximately 1,000 million euros, the same source says.
CAF said through a statement that the project is expected to start this year and that the new network will be fully operational in 2025.
The TransJerusalem J-Net Ltd consortium was selected against the other bidding group, which was formed by the Shikun & Binui and Egged (Israel), CRRC (China), Comsa (Spain), Efatec (Portugal) and MPK (Poland).
CAF’s participation in this bidding process was criticized from the start by the company committee of the Beasain company (Gipuzkoa) that urged management to abandon the project.
The workers’ representatives said that the tram project proposed for Jerusalem by the Government of Israel had sparked a “great international controversy” for touring Palestinian territory to serve the Jewish colonies in the east of the city.
LAB again criticized the company yesterday and accused the management of “deaf ears” to the request made by the committee.
The union announced in this regard that the works council will meet in the coming weeks to give a “unitary response to this decision,” reports Efe. LAB recalled that the plant committee that CAF has in Beasain (Gipuzkoa) asked the company to abandon this project that, according to this plant, “does not respect international legality or human rights.”
The central denounce that “Palestinian land will be expropriated to build the Jerusalem tram and thus link the territory with illegal colonies,” which is why they believe that the company should be outside this project
