Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Alstom Files Legal Challenge to Barcelona Metro Tender Over UN List

The company argues Barcelona’s use of a UN blacklist unlawfully excludes it from a €321 million train order.

Overview

  • Alstom lodged a special procurement appeal on August 14 against TMB’s tender for 39 metro trains, and TMB says its contracting committee will formally register the filing next week.
  • The Catalan Public Sector Contracts Tribunal will decide whether to suspend the process, which currently keeps the bid window open until early December.
  • The tender includes a clause barring contracts with companies named in a 2023 UN human rights office list tied to Israeli settlements, where Alstom appears.
  • Alstom says it has no activity in occupied Palestinian territories, calls the UN list outdated, and has requested removal in December 2023, October 2024 and July 2025.
  • The order is seen by Alstom as vital to maintain production and roughly 1,100 jobs at its Santa Perpètua plant, and the company has separately renewed a Belgian appeal, with the Council of State set to meet on August 29.