Portugal's Barraqueiro Group Wins First Spanish Rail Contract as Jaén Tram Prepares to Open After 15 Years
Portugal's largest private transport group wins a €10.9 million contract to operate the Jaén tram system in Andalusia — a light rail line built in 2011 that has never carried passengers. Barraqueiro holds 51% of the consortium and has three more Spanish bids pending.
Portuguese transport conglomerate Barraqueiro has won its first-ever public rail contract in Spain, partnering with Madrid-based Grupo Ruiz to operate the long-dormant tram system in the Andalusian city of Jaén. The 4.7-kilometre light rail line, whose infrastructure was completed in 2011 but has never carried a single passenger, is finally set to open for service.
A €10.9 million contract, 15 years in the making
The Junta de Andalucía awarded the concession to the Barraqueiro-Ruiz consortium after the two highest-ranked bidders — Spanish operators Alsa and Avanza — were disqualified on procedural grounds. Alsa failed to provide timely proof of a security subcontractor's accreditation, while Avanza was excluded for lacking a registered Equality Plan at the required point in the process. Both decisions were upheld on appeal.
The contract, worth €10.9 million against a budget ceiling of €14.7 million, covers a four-year term with an option for a one-year extension. The consortium will be responsible for operating Alstom Citadis trams across 400,000 kilometres annually, as well as managing ticketing, customer service, staffing, and coordinating vehicle maintenance with third parties.
Barraqueiro holds a 51 per cent stake in the joint venture.
Ten stations linking hospital, university, and courts
The Jaén tram's ten stations connect three of the city's major traffic generators: the hospital, the university, and the Ciudad de la Justicia (City of Justice). The system was built at considerable public expense more than a decade ago but was mothballed before ever entering commercial operation due to a succession of political, legal, and financial obstacles.
Testing of the infrastructure and rolling stock has continued periodically without a contracted operator, but no opening date has yet been announced.
Barraqueiro's rail credentials
Alberto Castanho Ribeiro, chief executive of ViaPorto (the Barraqueiro subsidiary that operates Metro do Porto), said the group's experience with Portuguese urban rail systems was decisive in winning the contract.
“Jaén represents a very significant step in our internationalisation strategy, as it is the first rail operation in Spain,” he told Público.
The group's portfolio includes Metro do Porto, which carried approximately 95 million passengers in 2025; Fertagus, the cross-river rail service linking Lisbon to Setúbal (around 32 million passengers); and Metro Sul do Tejo. Until now, the only Spanish foothold was a partnership between the group's Rede Expressos coach service and Spain's Alsa for long-distance bus routes between the two countries.
Three more Spanish bids pending
Barraqueiro has submitted proposals for three additional public transport operations in northwest Spain — in Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, and Vigo — and is awaiting jury evaluations. A successful outcome in any of those tenders would significantly deepen the group's presence in the Iberian market.
Founded in 1914 in Malveira, north of Lisbon, the Barraqueiro Group today employs more than 9,000 people across over 30 transport companies in Portugal, with a fleet exceeding 4,500 vehicles.