CAF has reached a historic milestone with the rollout of the 1,000th Urbos platform tram – an emblem of innovation and sustainability since its inception. The production of this unit highlights the tremendous success of the Urbos platform and solidifies the company’s standing as a global leader in sustainable urban mobility solutions.
First introduced in 2006, the Urbos platform of trams has since become a benchmark for reliability, innovation and cultural adaptation in the diverse cities where it operates. The first Urbos units began operating in 2010 on Seville’s MetroCentro line, with Zaragoza then receiving its first units a year later as part of its Tram project. Urbos trams are currently operating in 38 cities across 19 countries – a figure that continues to grow. As CAF continues to roll out projects, this number is expected to grow to nearly 50 cities in the coming years. These include cities such as Belgrade, Sydney, Malaga, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Amsterdam, Oslo, Seville, Granada, Nantes, Kaohsiung, Freiburg, Mauritius, Kansas, Budapest, Luxembourg, Canberra, Antwerp, Liège and Lisbon.
Over the past 14 years, CAF’s Urbos units have met the goals and risen to the challenges identified during their development, covering millions of kilometres – equivalent to circling the globe approximately 15,000 times.
The above achievements highlight CAF’s global footprint, further underscored by the international scope of the Urbos platform’s production. These vehicles have been manufactured across 8 CAF Group plants in 5 different countries, specifically at the industrial sites in Beasain, Zaragoza, Irún, Linares, Bagnères-de-Bigorre (France), Newport (United Kingdom), Elmira (United States), and Dunakeszi (Hungary).
Another important aspect of the Urbos platform is its commitment to sustainability. It must be pointed out that in 2011, it became the first tram in the world to receive an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Today, more than 20% of the materials used in its construction are recycled, with the trams contributing daily to preventing millions of tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.
Finally, another standout feature of the Urbos platform is a consistent investment in innovation. This has enabled CAF to integrate cutting-edge technologies into this platform, making Urbos the first tram equipped with Onboard Energy Storage System (OESS), which allows it to operate without overhead catenary lines. As a result, CAF is now a market leader in this sector, with 25% of all delivered fleets equipped with OESS technology. Also noteworthy is the fact that CAF has also pioneered other tram advancements, such as inductive energy charging systems, virtual coupling between tram units, and, more recently, autonomous driving. The company has successfully demonstrated remote tram driving from a control centre located various kilometres away.
Today, more than 2.5 million people use Urbos trams daily in cities across the globe. The vehicle’s design puts people first, and is adapted to the cultural and operational requirements of each city while ensuring optimal passenger comfort. This 1,000th unit milestone highlights CAF’s unwavering dedication to sustainable urban mobility, technological innovation, and industrial excellence.
