Contracts and deals in the passenger rolling stock markets.
Spain — Siemens Mobility and Hitachi Rail are competing to supply up to 40 high-speed trains to the country. Both manufacturers have been admitted to national operator Renfe’s tender for trainsets with a 350 km/h operating speed. Local manufacturer Talgo’s bid was thrown out for arriving past the deadline. Hitachi Rail is expected to put forward trains based on the high-speed ETR 1000. Siemens Mobility is working on its next-generation Velaro Novo platform, but with less than four years to deliver, an upgraded version of the existing Velaro MS is the more likely offer.
USA — New York’s Metro-North commuter network is set to receive up to 629 new coaches. A request for proposals from state transport authority MTA puts the firm order at 252 coaches, due by 2029, replacing Shoreliner coaches that Bombardier built back in the 1980s and 90s. The procurement sits within MTA’s approved 2025-2029 capital plan, worth $6 bln.
Czech Republic — Two operators have opened tenders covering up to 112 trains between them, including up to 83 battery-electric multiple units (BEMUs). Länderbahn (DLB), the German operator owned by Italy’s state-controlled FS Group, is after up to 23 BEMUs for its Ústí nad Labem services. Private operator Leo Express has relaunched its own tender, for up to 60 BEMUs and 29 EMUs worth an estimated €1.6 bln, with 44 and 21 units respectively as the firm order. Local manufacturer Škoda Group, with its 15Ev3 and 15Ev5, is among several European builders that can meet the specification.
High-speed EMU-250 train by Hyundai Rotem in Uzbekistan. Source: Khasanov G.A./Railgallery
Uzbekistan — Škoda Group has finalised a deal to supply 10 EMUs and signed with suburban operator Shahar Atrofida Yo’lovchi Tashish, part of national operator Uzbekistan Temir Yullari (UTY). Worth more than CZK 3 bln (€120 mln), the order covers a joint venture to localise assembly, after-sales support, and a new Škoda Group training centre. Talks continue over technical specifications for a further eight EMU-250 high-speed trains from Hyundai Rotem of South Korea, alongside an existing contract for six such EMUs already underway; the third of these arrived in the country in June, while the first has been running since May 2026.
GRT-series EMU in Georgia. Source: BVV/Railgallery
Azerbaijan and Georgia — CRRC continues to build out its footprint in both markets. Azerbaijani national operator ADY is in talks with the Chinese manufacturer over 4 intercity trains, 20 suburban EMUs for the Baku hub, and 50 coaches. Georgian Railway (GR) has meanwhile signed a $7.3 mln deal with CRRC to overhaul and upgrade three GRT-series EMUs, with two more already under similar work from a 2025 contract. Georgia’s fleet of five four-car CSR-built trains, in service since 2012, predates CSR’s 2015 merger into CRRC.
