A consortium comprising CRRC Changchun do Brasil Railway Equipamentos e Serviços Ltda. and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd.（中车长春轨道客车股份有限公司）has been named the winner of an international tender to supply 10 new trains for the metro serving Salvador and neighboring Lauro de Freitas in Brazil’s Bahia state.
Bahia’s state-owned transport company, Companhia de Transportes do Estado da Bahia, approved and awarded the tender result on July 7. The winning bid was valued at R$490.38 million, covering 10 four-car trainsets for Lines 1 and 2. A consortium led by France’s Alstom submitted the other bid, worth R$614.42 million.
The result followed a prolonged procurement review. CRRC Changchun had earlier been disqualified over an eligibility requirement but filed an administrative appeal on June 18. The transport company published its ruling on July 6, one day before approving the Chinese consortium as the winner. At the time of the announcement, the contract had yet to be signed, and no timetable had been disclosed for production, delivery or entry into service.
CRRC Changchun is a core subsidiary of CRRC Corporation Limited（中国中车股份有限公司）and one of the group’s principal manufacturers of metro, intercity and high-speed passenger trains. Founded in 1954, the company provides services spanning vehicle development, manufacturing, overhaul and maintenance. It already has experience in Brazil, including supplying metro trains for Rio de Janeiro.
The Salvador result demonstrates CRRC Changchun’s ability to compete directly with an established European supplier in Latin America. Its offer was approximately R$124 million, or 20%, below Alstom’s proposal, giving the Chinese consortium a substantial price advantage.
The tender also strengthens CRRC Changchun’s position in Brazil’s urban-rail market. However, it is specifically a rolling-stock procurement rather than a complete rail-system contract: the disclosed scope does not establish that CRRC will provide signaling, financing, local assembly or long-term maintenance. Its broader significance therefore lies in winning a competitive public tender against a major incumbent and building a platform for potential follow-on business in Brazil.