Servicios Ferroviarios de Mallorca (SFM) has received the fourth of the five new trains acquired by the Government of the Balearic Islands to reinforce the railway company’s fleet and to give continuity to the improvements in public transport. The fifth and last of the trains acquired in this purchase will arrive in Mallorca in October.

The fourth of the five new trains acquired by SFM has arrived at Palma’s Moll Vell. Subsequently, the vehicle was deposited at the track yard of SFM’s facilities in Son Rullan at around 11 a.m., once the special transport enabled from the port of Palma had finished.

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SFM receives the fourth of the five new trains to be incorporated this year

The railway company expects the first two units, which arrived on the island on 28 February and 29 April, respectively, to enter service soon, once they have passed all the relevant tests. They are currently in the last phase of tests, known as ‘blank runs’, which cover the usual network routes, but without passengers. These tests are used to check the correct operation of all the systems of the new trains on the network on which they will provide service, as well as for training in driving the new convoys for all the train drivers on staff. These tests began in August and, once completed, will allow the new trains to enter service.

The last of the new trains purchased will arrive in October. The five new convoys will make it possible to extend the timetables and frequencies of the rail service. The new trains’ incorporation into the service will be carried out gradually from the moment the first two trains finish the blank runs until the end of this year.

Before the next entry into service, SFM wanted to show the new units to the users on the occasion of the celebration of the European Mobility Week (from 16 to 22 September) and, therefore, on Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21, one of these units will be parked at the Intermodal station in the morning so that all those passengers who so wish can get to know both its external appearance and the details of the interior.

The new units acquired by SFM will have to follow a rigorous and lengthy process until they are put into service, which involves passing the first operating tests at the CAF manufacturing company’s facilities in the Basque Country and then beginning a period in which different circulation tests will continue to be carried out by the strict safety protocols, to end with this last phase of the blank runs in which the first two are already in place. As for the first unit that arrived in February, the testing period is longer, since most of the circulation tests that have been carried out since its arrival are valid for the rest of the units.

The contract with Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) for the manufacture of the five electric trains, each with four cars, and their maintenance during the guarantee period has involved an investment of 54,653,612 euros (excluding VAT), 90% of which comes from the European REACT-EU fund.

These are the latest generation trains, each comprising four cars (carriages) and featuring advances in many respects over those of SFM’s current fleet.

Firstly, the structure is made of aluminium, which makes them lighter in weight and therefore less energy-consuming and more efficient; secondly, they are four metres longer and offer slightly more capacity than the previous ones, and there are more spaces reserved for bicycles inside them.

A significant difference to the current 8100 series is that the new ones have three entrance doors on each side of the carriage, which facilitates passenger access and greater agility in loading and unloading passengers.

Electronically more advanced, they are also equipped with better electrical safety systems, which provide greater reliability and agility in the event of possible incidents.

The interior passenger information devices have also been improved, as well as the video surveillance systems inside the units. It should also be noted that some of the electronic advances included in the new units can be replicated in the trains of the current fleet, which means that the entire fleet will be improved in terms of safety and reliability.