EIB and Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) sign €80 million loan to invest in innovation and sustainability in the mobility sector

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• The loan will support CAF’s investments in the application of advanced technologies to the mobility sector to make it more sustainable and contribute to its modernisation.
• The investments will take place at CAF centres in Spain and Poland, promoting research, development and innovation in autonomous mobility and energy efficiency for trains and buses.
• The agreement under the TechEU initiative serves the strategic priorities of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in technological innovation, cohesion and climate action.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) have signed an €80 million loan agreement to finance the company’s research, development and innovation (RD&I) programme. CAF develops comprehensive urban mobility solutions using trains and buses. Its RD&I programme focuses on applications for advanced technologies to mobility, to upgrade the sector and make it more sustainable.

This EIB financing will enable CAF to invest in digitalisation, autonomous mobility solutions and energy efficiency of trains and buses. The project will help accelerate the transformation of a sector key to economic growth and reducing emissions.

The RD&I investments will be made in CAF’s centres in Spain and Poland. The project is expected to strengthen competitiveness in the EU industrial landscape and help meet market demands for skilled employment in urban and interurban transport sectors.

The financing agreement supports technological innovation, cohesion and environmental sustainability – three of the eight core priorities set out in the EIB Group 2024-2027 Strategic Roadmap. In the area of technological innovation, the project serves the TechEU initiative, the EIB Group’s programme to accelerate EU innovation, which aims to mobilise €250 billion in investments by 2027 for startups, scale-ups and innovative companies across Europe.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, it finances investments that pursue EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.

Around half of EIB financing in the European Union goes to cohesion regions, where per capita income is below the EU average, while almost 60% of annual EIB Group investments support climate action and environmental sustainability. 

In Spain, the EIB Group signed new financing worth €12.3 billion for over 100 high-impact projects in 2024, contributing to the country’s green and digital transition, economic growth, competitiveness and better services for its people.

High-quality, up-to-date photos of EIB headquarters for media use are available here.

CAF Group

CAF Group is a global market leader in comprehensive transportation systems, both in the rail sector (metros, trams, high-speed rail, suburban and commuter transport, light rail, locomotives, civil engineering and rail electrification) and in other transport (sustainable urban bus lines). With turnover of over €4 billion, CAF has developed large-scale international projects in many countries, across five continents. Currently, CAF Group has a workforce of more than 17 000 people, with production facilities in Spain, France, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Poland and the United Kingdom, and many branches across the globe.