Stadler FLIRT

Specifications

The FLIRT is a new generation of multiple units, even though it has a striking resemblance with GTW vehicles. The trains can have two to six sections and electric variants are available for all commonly used power supply systems (AC and DC) as well as standard and broad gauge. It has jacobs bogies between the individual sections, with wide walk-through gangways. The floor height at the entrances can be chosen by the operator, providing level boarding at most stations. Automatic couplers of either Schwab type (on all Swiss units) or Scharfenberg type at both ends of the train allow up to four trains to be connected.

All FLIRT variations use IGBT based traction converters from ABB, which drive the induction motors located in the two bogies at either end of the train. On the two-section trains, only one bogie is powered, while on longer versions it is possible to have a third powered bogie in the middle, found on the trains for NSB and for PKP Intercity in Poland. Each bogie usually has a continuous power rating of 1,000 kW (1,300 hp) giving a typical four-section train 2,000 kW (2,700 hp) total power output as well as maximum power output of 2,600 kW (3,500 hp) over a short time. Depending on the number of powered bogies, the length and weight, they will reach top speeds between 120 and 200 km/h (75 and 124 mph) (typically 160 km/h or 99 mph). Acceleration also varies between 0.8 and 1.2 m/s² (2.6 and 3.9 ft/s²).

Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Railways were Stadler's first customer for the FLIRT when they ordered 42 units with options for 100 more in September 2002. The first vehicle was delivered in 2004 for the use on the Stadtbahn Zug.

Meanwhile, the Swiss Federal Railways have ordered a total of 117 units that can be broken down into four different types that differ in their equipment for driving in neighboring countries. The base version is the RABe 523 that is used on the Stadtbahn Zug and the RER Lausanne. These 43 four-section units can only be used within Switzerland. The 30 RABe 521 and 14 RABe 522 are versions that can also be used in Germany and France respectively. They also consist of four sections and are used on the Basel S-Bahn. The last version is the Italy-capable RABe 524/ETR 150 that is used on Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia (TILO) services in Ticino and northern Italy. The first 19 units of this type to be delivered were four-sections long, and were followed by eleven units ordered that six-sections long and are additionally equipped with the ETCS Level 2 train control system.

Besides the Swiss Federal Railways two other companies in Switzerland operate FLIRT trains: The Südostbahn uses 11 trains with the designation RABe 526 and the Transports Régionaux Neuchâtelois owns three trains (RABe 527).

Algeria

SNTF

Azerbaijan

Stadler Rail has signed a contract to supply Azerbaijan Railways with 30 gauge-changing sleeping and dining cars for use on future Baku-Tbilisi-Kars.

Belarus

10 units to the Belarusian Railways delivered 2011. 6 more to be delivered 2013–14.

Trains are used mostly on routes with Minsk as the start or the end point (e.g. Minsk – Minsk National Airport and other sub-urban routes). Stadler trains are also used as inter-regional transport in Belarus. Currently FLIRT trains are also used on routes Minsk – Gomel and Minsk – Brest

Czech Republic

The Czech private operator LEO Express ordered 5 units. Units are modified as InterCity trains. All 5 units have operated on the Prague–Ostrava line since December 2012. Since December 2013 one unit is operated on the Prague–Staré Město u Uherského Hradiště and since December 2014 next one unit is operated on the international route Prague–Košice (Slovak Republic). The maximum speed of these units is 189 km/h (117 mph), but in service it is limited to 160 km/h (99 mph).

Estonia

Elron ordered 18 electric (6 four-car and 12 three-car) and 20 diesel (6 four-car, 8 three-car and 6 two-car) broad-gauged trains. By June 2014 all 38 trains were delivered. This has been the first time FLIRT DMUs were produced. First five trains went into service on 1 July 2013 and by January 2014 all old trains were replaced by the new ones. On 16 April 2014 one of the new DMUs that had been operating for just 5 months had an accident near Raasiku (truck collision). The unit was badly damaged. It will go back into service by 2015 when the two damaged carriages will be replaced with new ones. Elron investigation initiated in November 2014. There were suspicions that some DMUs might have design faults. Two serious design flaws were found.

Finland

81 four-section broad-gauged FLIRT units, classified as Sm5 in the Finnish system, have been ordered by Pääkaupunkiseudun junakalusto Oy (a joint venture between the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa & Kauniainen and the VR Group) for service on the Helsinki commuter rail network. The Sm5 units will be leased by Pääkaupunkiseudun junakalusto to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council, but they will be operated by the VR Group. The initial order in 2006 was for 32 trainsets. Nine further units were ordered in 2011 and 34 further units in 2014.

The first Sm5 unit arrived in Finland on 11 November 2008. Following preliminary testing the first unit was displayed to the public in Helsinki on 17 December 2008. During the remainder of on 2008 and for most of 2009 the Sm5 units were extensively tested in different parts of Finland. The first unit entered passenger service on 18 November 2009.

Germany

The Cantus Verkehrsgesellschaft, a joint subsidiary of Hessische Landesbahn and Hamburger Hochbahn, became the first German FLIRT operator when they received their first train in 2006. Their fleet consists of 14 three-car and 6 four-car units.

Since December 2007 Abellio Rail NRW operates 9 three-car and 8 two-car FLIRT trains for regional routes between Essen, Hagen, Iserlohn and Siegen. This was the first time that a FLIRT with only two sections was ordered.

Also since December 2007 Westfahlenbahn GmbH uses 14 three-car and 5 five-car trains for trains services in the Teutoburg Forest region.

In 2006 DB Regio, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG ordered five five-section vehicles for regional services on the German east coast. The trains were delivered in August 2007 and are now used on the routes Rostock–Stralsund–Lietzow–Sassnitz (Hanse-Express), Sassnitz–Stralsund and Binz–Lietzow.

The biggest order from Germany so far came in October 2006 from the leasing company Angel Trains Europa GmbH when they ordered 25 four-car FLIRT trains. All 25 units have been leased to Eurobahn who uses them on the Hellweg network in North Rhine-Westphalia. Only a year later, in November 2007, Angel Trains ordered 4 more four-car and 14 five-car trains that will also be used by Eurobahn.

On the InnoTrans 2008, a trade fair focused on rail transport, VIAS GmbH announced their order for 12 four-section and 7 three-section units. Starting in December 2010, the trains will be put on the Frankfurt–Koblenz route.

Hungary

Italy

In Italy FLIRT are used by six regional railways, in total units ordered and built are so divided among the following companies:

Ferrovie del Gargano: name ETR 330, single voltage to 3 kV DC, maximum speed 160 km/h. Fleet: three units.

Ferrotramviaria: name ETR 340, single voltage to 3 kV DC, maximum speed 160 km/h. Fleet: four units.

SAD used on Val Pusteria Railway name ETR 155 and ETR 170. C.a dual voltage 15 kV / 3 kV cc. Fleet: four units (ETR 155) and four units (ETR 170), In July 2011 have been ordered eight new units for routes within the jurisdiction of SAD.

Sistemi Territoriali: name ETR 340, single voltage to 3 kV DC, maximum speed 160 km/h [10]. Fleet: two units from 2008, four and sixteen FLIRT ordered in 2009. The FLIRT ordered in 2009 will be built in conjunction with the AnsaldoBreda: the Stadler Rail will carry vehicles head of convoys, systems of traction and onboard auxiliary, the bogies and bearing while AnsaldoBreda realize intermediate cars, the staging and the final composition of the train and the delivery to the operators at the plant in Pistoia.

Tilo (Switzerland / Italy): RABe 524/ETR 150 C.a dual voltage 15 kV / 3 kV cc. Maximum speed 160 km/h. The first 19 units of this type to be delivered were four-sections long, and were followed by eleven units ordered that six-sections long and are additionally equipped with the ETCS Level 2 train control system.

Ferrovie Emilia Romagna: twelve units, in conjunction with the construction AnsaldoBreda: the Stadler Rail will carry out the head of the convoys of vehicles, systems, traction and onboard auxiliary, engines and carriages bearing while AnsaldoBreda carry out intermediate cars, the staging and the final composition of the train and the delivery to the operators at the plant in Pistoia.

Latvia

On 1 July 2014 Latvian rail operator Pasažieru vilciens announced that it would acquire FLIRT trains as part of a hire/purchase contract, however Pv owner Latvian Railways ultimately withdrew the contract and no procurement went ahead.

Netherlands

On 23 April 2015 the Netherlands' railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen announced that it was ordering 58 Stadler FLIRT EMUs, comprising 25 four-car units and 33 three-car units, to be delivered by the end of 2016. The very short delivery deadline (20 months), to meet capacity needs, allowed NS to invoke 'urgency mode' provisions in EU procurement rules and place the order without tendering. The 58 FLIRT EMUs for NS will be produced at Stadler's plant in Siedlce, Poland, 92 km east of Warsaw, following the order which that plant is completing for PKP Intercity in Poland.

FLIRT 3 EMUS are now in service in The Netherlands with the following operators

Norway

50 Flirt units were ordered by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), with a further 100 on option. Twenty-six units will be used on the Oslo Commuter Rail and the remaining 24 units will be used on regional and express routes. During spring and summer 2012 all Flirt trains used by NSB are to be fitted with free wireless Internet access for the passengers. In the NSB system, the FLIRT trains are classified as "class 74" for regional trainsets and "class 75" for local trainsets.

All trains have five cars. However, in contrast to previous five-car FLIRTs they will have a third powered bogie giving them a maximum power output of 4,500 kW (6,000 hp) and a top speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). Trial runs started on the Bergen Line in 2009, using a SBB-CFF-FFS unit. The first units were scheduled to enter passenger service on 29 February 2012. The FLIRT's introduction was delayed after a unit derailed during tests by NSB on 15 February 2012, injuring five people. The train had much too high speed and there was no safety systems along the railway that could catch the driver's error.

The first train entered into regular service on 2 May 2012 on the line from Skien to Lillehammer. The last of the 50 trains was delivered on 24 January 2014. NSB has ordered a further 57 trains, for a total of 107, as of October 2015.

Local class 75 trains are configured with five seats (2+3) abreast. The class 74 regional trains were also delivered with 2+3 seating on regional trains except in the premium "Komfort" section that had 2+2 seating. Significant passengers complaints over cramped seating led NSB to reconfigure the regional trains into 2+2 seating during 2014.

These fleets have 800 mm floor without steps. Since many Norwegian platforms are too low to access to these fleets, they will have to be raised to 550 mm platform height to be accessible. These fleets cannot operate for low platform lines (e.g. Bergen Line, Sørlandet Line west of Kongsberg, Dovre Line north of Lillehammer). Raised platforms will be matched with conventional train steps, hence vertical gaps between this fleet and platforms will remain.

Poland

Koleje Mazowieckie in 2008 bought 10 four-car 3 kV DC units for services in the Warsaw region. Koleje Śląskie (KŚ) bought 4 four-car 3 kV DC units for service in Silesia. Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna (ŁKA) in 2012 ordered 20 two-car units for service in the region around Łódź, for delivery by February 2015. PKP Intercity in August 2013 ordered 20 eight-car 3 kV DC units with interiors for long distance travel and top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), for service on four long distance routes in Poland, from a consortium of Stadler Polska and Newag for delivery by October 2015.

Serbia

Serbian Railways have ordered 21 FLIRT3 EMUs for regional traffic. The vehicles are expected to be delivered between 2014 and 2015. Trains are numbered ŽS 413/417.

Sweden

The Hong Kong-based operator MTR has started a Swedish subsidiary (MTR Express) and ordered 6 Flirt EMU for inter-city operation between Stockholm and Gothenburg. They are very similar to the Norwegian units, maximum 200 km/h, but have more comfortable seats aimed for longer distances, and a small café area. The first unit was delivered November 2014. They started customer operation in March 2015.

Transitio has in 2014 signed an agreement with Stadler, CAF and Bombardier, that these three companies are chosen to get orders for regional and local trains during 2015–21. Transitio is a train purchasing company owned by the regional transport authorities in Sweden.

United Kingdom

In August 2016 Abellio selected Stadler FLIRT electric and electro-diesel units for the East Anglia franchise, to replace the fleet of Class 90 locomotives, Class 379 electric multiple units, and Class 153, 156 and 170 diesel multiple units currently used. This will compromise 14 3-car and 24 4-car electro-diesel units and 20 12-car electric units (of which 10 will be used for Airport and 10 for Intercity services).

In December 2016 Merseyrail announced that it had reached an agreement with Stadler Rail for the provision of a new fleet of trains, to be delivered from mid-2019 onwards. These will be bespoke for Merseyrail, allowing Merseytravel to have them designed specifically for its own network. The trains will be four-car walk through, with jacobs boogies, as opposed to the three-car units currently in service, with a significantly increased capacity, with faster acceleration allowing for reduced journey times, and reduced weight and more efficient electrical systems giving a 20% reduction in energy use. The contract is for 52 units, these will be delivered from summer 2019, with the whole fleet in service by 2021. Merseyrail has the option for a further fifteen units as part of the deal. The deal also involves the transfer of 155 of Merseyrail's maintenance workers to Stadler.

United States

On June 9, 2015, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The "T") signed a contract for the supply of eight 4-car articulated FLIRT3 diesel-electric multiple units for the Tex Rail commuter line, which is scheduled to open in 2018. The contract was signed at a ceremony held at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC). The contract was signed by the Chairman of the T (Mr Scott Mahaffey), the CEO of the T (Mr Paul Ballard) and the CEO of Stadler Rail (Mr Peter Spuhler). The contract is valued at $US 106.7M, and includes the supply of components for 10 years. The contract also includes an option for an additional 24 DMUs.

This is Stadler's first order for its FLIRT family in the US (previous orders have been for the GTW), and the first to include federal funding and thus be subject to the Buy America Act. As such, one element of the contract is that the final assembly of the trains will take place in the US, and a site in Lewisville is being considered as a possible location for the facility.

Accidents and incidents