One of the largest elevator contracts in Spain is about to be settled. Metro de Madrid has put out to tender the maintenance of the 565 lifts in its network until 2027, 42 units more than in the contract four years ago, a change of 7.2 million euros. The number of elevators will continue to grow in the coming years if we take into account the accessibility plans that the underground has launched and that seek to achieve a network adapted to all types of users.
On this occasion, Metro repeats the formula and once again separates batch maintenance based on the manufacturer: one with 140 Kone elevators; a second with 90 from Otis; two batches with 150 and 165 ThyssenKrupp elevators; and a last one with 20 from Schindler and one from Fain. The winners of each lot must be in charge of carrying out the preventive, corrective and integral maintenance tasks, including acts of vandalism that are carried out on them.
Among the companies that have already applied are the ‘giants’ of the sector: Otis, Kone or Schindler, which elevators are already present in the network. Although the usual thing is that each of them chooses to keep their devices, the possibility of managing those of the competition is there: in the previous contract, from 2019, Kone took over the maintenance of the Otis elevators and Schindler was in charge of the The only one installed by Fain in the entire network.
The contract includes the replacement of all the materials and labor of all the elements with a high economic cost, such as the motor, the variators or the traction elements, whatever their state or if anomalies arise. In the event of a high number of entrapments due to incorrect maintenance, the subway reserves the possibility of applying economic penalties as compensation.
103 new accessors until 2028
These companies are not only present in Madrid tunnels and stations through elevators, but are also the main providers and maintainers of the more than 1,700 escalators that this transport service has. In mid-2022, the maintenance contract for 700 of these pieces of equipment was announced, which were awarded to Kone, TK Elevadores, Otis and Schindler for almost 20 million euros.
At the end of 2021, almost 70% of the stations of the Plende Metro Network were accessible, although the lack of elevators in large stores at Medical Centers and Hospitals HAS ARISED THE CRIITERS AND COMPLAINTS OF MANY OF ITS USERS AND NEIGHBORS. To try to reverse this situation, the Madrid underground launched its 2021-2028 Accessibility and Inclusion Plan.
Endowed with 332 million euros, this plan contemplates installing elevators in critical points such as the Begoña station, which gives access to the La Paz Hospital and the Cuatro Torres financial area, and in which 18 million will be invested. Similar works will be carried out on Avenida de América, to which 38 million will be allocated for 10 new elevators; o Diego de León, with 32 million for 13 elevators and the total remodeling of the station. In total, action will be taken on 27 stations to add 103 new lifts to the network and reach 80% accessibility coverage.
