Spanish train manufacturer CAF wants to collaborate with Alstom in Bruges to build trainsets for NMBS/SNCB. Alstom lost the contract and unsuccessfully challenged that decision before the Council of State. Trade unions at Alstom Bruges feared that losing the contract would spell the end of the factory.
The collaboration between CAF and Alstom Bruges comes at the explicit request of Minister of Mobility Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), who also made the news public at the opening of a new NMBS/SNCB workshop in Ostend.
Details of the collaboration are still unclear
Together with NMBS/SNCB, the minister emphasized the importance of local employment. “Both through subcontracting and through the development of assembly activities in our country,” said Crucke.
“In this context, CAF will also enter discussions with Alstom’s management soon. If Alstom’s willingness and capacity are confirmed and the economic cost remains in line with market conditions, this will be an important route,” said the minister about the 180 trainsets that CAF will build for NMBS/SNCB.
CAF has since confirmed its willingness to enter into a partnership with Alstom. However, it is not yet clear in what capacity. “I have asked the three parties to sit down and discuss how they can work together,” the minister said. “Alstom has the capacity, so it would be a shame to lose that.”
‘Crucial for local employment’
At the end of last year, Alstom, the French group, announced that 150 of the 585 jobs in Bruges would be lost; it also does not yet know much about the collaboration. “We have read the statement, but we are not aware of CAF’s intentions.”
MP Frank Demon (CD&V), who is also an alderman in Bruges, is pleased with the news. “This is undoubtedly positive news. A collaboration between CAF and Alstom Bruges is crucial to maintaining local employment and valuable railway expertise in our country,” says Demon.
“After months of uncertainty, there is finally new hope for Alstom and the many employees at the Bruges site. I will continue to monitor this case closely in the coming months to ensure that these intentions are effectively translated into concrete results.”
