CAF Wins Helsinki Metro CBTC Contract: €60M+ Deal Signed

CAF will modernize Helsinki’s metro with a €60M+ CBTC system, boosting reliability and automation for 78M+ annual passengers, solidifying its Nordic market presence.

January 28, 2026 5:39 pm

🛑 Key Takeaways:

CAF will modernize the entire Helsinki metro signaling infrastructure with a Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system.
The contract is valued at over €60 million and includes retrofitting the existing M300 train fleet with on-board systems.
This win strengthens CAF’s position in the Nordic rail market and its growing railway signaling business segment.

HELSINKI, FINLAND – Spanish manufacturer CAF has secured a contract valued at over €60 million to supply and install a new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the entire Helsinki metro network. The contract was awarded by a consortium of the network’s owners and operators: Metropolitan Area Transport, Helsinki City Transport, and Länsimetro.

Category	Specification / Detail
Project	Helsinki Metro CBTC Modernization
Contract Value	Over €60 million EUR
Contractor	Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF)
Clients	Metropolitan Area Transport, Helsinki City Transport, Länsimetro
Core Technology	Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC)
Scope	Full signaling infrastructure replacement, new control center, retrofitting of M300 rolling stock.
Network Impacted	43 km, 2 lines, 30 stations
Target Completion	Commercial operation by the end of 2029

Operational & Technical Details

The project’s primary goal is to replace the existing signaling infrastructure on the 43 km network. Implementation of the CBTC system is designed to increase operational reliability and automation levels. This modernization will enable higher train frequencies, accommodating projected growth in passenger demand. The contract scope includes equipping the existing fleet of M300 trains with CAF’s on-board CBTC technology. A new control center will also be supplied. The upgrade will be implemented gradually across the network, which serves over 78 million passengers annually.

Market Impact Analysis

This contract solidifies CAF’s strategic expansion into the high-value railway signaling sector. Following a similar automatic metro operation contract for the Naples metro, the Helsinki deal establishes CAF as a credible provider in a market often dominated by larger competitors. The win also deepens the company’s footprint in the Nordic region, a key growth market. It builds on a pre-existing relationship where CAF supplied 25 metro trains to Helsinki and has delivered multiple rolling stock projects for operators in Oslo, Stockholm, and Lund.