The new factory in Guifões will build more than 80 trains for CP

The industrial facility will create 300 direct jobs and help develop skills and talent.

CP – Comboios de Portugal has marked the start of construction of a new railway rolling stock factory in Guifões, in the municipality of Matosinhos, as part of the contract signed with Alstom for the supply of 153 multiple units for urban and regional services.

This industrial facility, which will cover more than 20,000 square metres and be equipped with state-of-the-art production technologies, will enable more than half of the trains covered by the contract, 81 in total, to be manufactured in Portugal.

According to Alstom, this project will create around 300 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs, making a significant contribution to the development of skills and expertise in the national rail sector.

“We are at a decisive moment for the railways in Portugal. We are taking a crucial step towards the modernisation of CP and the sector, ensuring new trains for passengers and the creation of industrial capacity in the country. This is a landmark project for mobility and the economy. This new facility will contribute to the development of skills, talent and specialist knowledge in the railway sector,” Pedro Moreira, Chair of the Board of Directors of CP said.

The construction of this new industrial facility in Guifões, combined with the renewal of the fleet and the expansion of services, represents a decisive step in preparing the Portuguese railways for future challenges, consolidating its role in the transport system and in territorial cohesion.

In the future, CP will adapt this facility to function as a CP maintenance workshop.

Largest ever investment in rolling stock

The start of construction of this industrial facility comes against the backdrop of CP’s largest ever investment in rolling stock. With the exercise of the option to purchase a further 36 multiple units, the contract with Alstom now covers a total of 153 units, representing an investment in excess of one billion euros, enabling the strengthening and modernisation of rail services across the country. Through the amendment signed in March, the parties have also accelerated the delivery of the new trains, bringing the completion of the supply forward by 17 months.

The new trains, 98 for urban services and 55 for regional services, will begin to be delivered in 2029, helping to increase capacity, improve accessibility and meet the sustained growth in demand for rail transport in the country. The new three-coach trains with a capacity of up to 450 passengers, will feature step-free access, Wi-Fi connectivity and dedicated spaces for wheelchairs and bicycles, promising to significantly improve the passenger travel experience.

This new factory, to be built in Guifões, forms part of this contract and represents a further step towards the return of train production to Portugal.

“To keep pace with the exponential increase in demand we have been seeing, it is essential to renew the rolling stock fleet so that we can offer passengers an ever-higher quality service and a better travel experience,” argues Pedro Moreira, noting that these 153 multiple units are in addition to the 22 covered by the contract signed with Stadler, which have begun to arrive in Portugal.

Furthermore, a tender is currently underway for the supply of high-speed trains for passenger services, which provides for the purchase of 12 railcars (with an option to purchase a further eight).

With these investments, CP is continuing to renew its fleet and reinforce its commitment to more sustainable, efficient and inclusive mobility, in line with national decarbonisation and energy transition targets.

New facility joins the Guifões Workshop Complex

The completion of this industrial project in Guifões is particularly significant given the history of this workshop complex. Opened in 1990, the Guifões Workshop established itself as a central hub for the maintenance, modernisation and refurbishment of rolling stock, carrying out work on various series and contributing to the operational efficiency of the national rail service.

In 2012, as part of a restructuring plan, the north workshop temporarily closed; it was reactivated on 1 January 2020, when it resumed a key role in fleet maintenance, the refurbishment of carriages (Schindler, Sorefame and Arco, amongst others), and general overhauls of rolling stock. Since then, it has carried out refurbishment projects that have enabled it to enhance services across various lines and strengthen in-house key technical expertise.

Guifões is also the site where the ‘Comboio Português’ (Portuguese Train) is currently being assembled, as part of the TrainSolutions Portugal project, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan.