The Spanish state-owned operator Renfe has backed its tender to create a part-owned bus subsidiary for Rail Replacement Services (RRS), following a precautionary suspension of the process by the Central Administrative Court for Contractual Appeals (TACRC).
The court is examining challenges lodged by trade bodies ANETRA, FENADISMER and DIREBUS, which represent smaller coach operators effectively excluded by the tender’s fleet requirements — a minimum of 500 vehicles for sole bidders, or 300 for consortia.
Renfe, however, points to strong backing from the industry’s heavyweights: nine companies have entered the first phase, representing over 75% of privately operated road transport demand in Spain.
The contract, worth up to 60 million euros annually, covers just 1.22% of the total road passenger market — a figure Renfe uses to counter claims of market distortion. The operator also expects the arrangement to deliver savings of between 9 and 13 million euros per year, having previously faced pricing that threatened the sustainability of rail replacement operations.
Smaller operators will not be shut out entirely: subcontracting on urgent and unforeseeable services — 15% of the contract’s total value — remains open to them. Renfe is confident the suspension will not ultimately derail the procurement.