Draft:CAF Inneo BM3

The CAF Inneo BM3 (Bucharest Metro 3rd generation) is a family of metros designed for the Bucharest Metro, with 24 six-car trainsets commissioned by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles to improve service on line M2 and further displace the remaining Astra IVA fleet.

History
In 2008, during the Great Recession, Metrorex once again decided to experiment with the idea of modernizing Astra IVA married pairs in order to completely renew its fleet after the introduction of 44, six-car Alstom MOVIA 346 trainsets. Alstom has shown a Proof of Concept in 2008 of a modernized Astra IVA car, which was supposed to resemble more the MOVIA 346 sets. Despite the PoC being far more promising than the failed moodernization attempts of the past, Metrorex scrapped the idea due to the high costs of modernization and went on the path of replacing them with new trainsets once again.

Financed by the European Investment Bank and by the Romanian Government, Metrorex would later in 2011 publish the tender for 16 new six-car trainsets, with an option for an additional eight units, destined for service on line M2.

In June 2011, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and Bombardier Transportation were confirmed to be the bidders, with CAF's offer valued at 97 million euros and Bombardier's at 111 million euros.

The contract was won in the end by CAF in September 2011, despite challenges by Bombardier Transportation, and it was signed in the same month.

In 2014, Metrorex exercised the option for eight additional trainsets, while also gaining European Union financing for all 24 trainsets through the POS-T 2007-2013 program (ro. Programul Operational Sectorial - Transport).

Design and features
The BM4 reuses and refines the Vagn 2000 basis for the design, introduced with the Bombardier MOVIA 346 trainsets and later refined with the CAF Inneo BM3 trainsets. The front is inspired after the final Bombardier MOVIA design language before Alstom's takeover in 2021, resulting in a similar front to Singapore's MOVIA R151. The livery is similar to the CAF Inneo BM3, though with an orange stripe signifying their use on line M5.

It includes several upgrades. Passenger ventilation is now powered by six large forced ventilation units with refrigeration, alongside the enhanced security with CCTV cameras, better passenger information with LCD displays, larger windows and stainless steel seats. The cabs can be easily dismantled for driverless operation in the future.

Technical Specifications
The trainsets are configured in a R1+MP1+M1+M2+MP2+R2 formation, with R meaning Trailer Car (ro. Remorcă), MP being Power Car with Shunting Pantograph (ro. Motor Pantograf) and M being Power Car (Motor). This is also a radical departure from the M+M married pair formation of the Astra IVA and would persist with future orders.

Roster Naming
Much like the SL C20 and Alstom MOVIA 346, all Inneo BM3 trainsets would be baptized by Metrorex, this time after Romanian rivers.


 * 1301-2301 "Dunarea"
 * 1302-2302 "Mures"
 * 1303-2303 "Prut"
 * 1304-2304 "Olt"
 * 1305-2305 "Ialomita"
 * 1322-2322 "Putna" (destroyed in the January 2019 crash)

Incidents
In January 2019, BM3 number 1322-2322 "Putna" crashed in Metrorex's Berceni underground workshops, currently concessioned by Alstom under a long maintenance contract. The year long investigation by the AGIFER proved that the TCMS software was at fault. As of 2024, legal battles between Metrorex/Alstom and CAF are still carried.

As of 2024, unit 1322-2322 "Putna" has been extracted from the underground Berceni facility, had its R1 trailer car scrapped and is now stored in the Berceni depot with an uncertain fate, due to the legal battles between Metrorex/Alstom and CAF. It is expected that the trainset will be repaired and will return to revenue service.