Catalonia's Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition has issued a tender to create a single umbrella brand for Generalitat-run public transport services, including Rodalies commuter rail and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC).

The design contract has a tender budget of €250,470 including VAT and an estimated value of €278,400. For commuters, the change will eventually mean a common visual identity across services, although current operators and their names will initially remain in place.

The proposed brand will cover Rodalies, FGC, Ifercat and Cimalsa, as well as Generalitat infrastructure operated by other companies, including Tram and Metro services. The Department's aim is to replace the current range of visual identities with a system it describes as robust, simpler and easier for users to recognise.

Four branches and a phased change

The new identity will be organised into four areas:

  • road transport;
  • personal mobility;
  • rail transport; and
  • infrastructure.

Rodalies and FGC will ultimately be incorporated into the rail branch. The transition is planned in three stages: the new brand will first appear alongside existing names, then become more prominent, before the current identities are fully integrated into one of the four branches.

Bus network set to be first

The first application of the new identity will be on the bus network. Manel Nadal, the Generalitat's secretary-general for Mobility, said more than 1,000 buses are due to be added in the short term and will use a shared image while retaining their individual operators' brands.

“In a short time, more than a thousand buses will have to be incorporated, which will have a common image, while respecting the brands of the different operators.”

The commission includes the commercial name, graphic design, a corporate identity manual, physical signs and an audio identity. The successful bidder will have six months to develop the project from 1 January 2027, or from the date the contract is formally signed if that is later.

Reported by vilaweb.cat, VilaWeb Feed.