Swiss company BLS will be modernising 25 vehicles of its Lötschberger fleet in the Bönigen workshop over the next three years. The first modernised train has been back in service since the beginning of June. BLS aims to have the Lötschberger fleet in service until the 2030s.
The BLS Lötschberger trains have been in service since 2009. To ensure that the BLS can continue to operate these trains reliably and safely until 2037, all 25 trains will undergo a thorough overhaul from mid-2024 to 2027.
This overhaul in the middle of a train’s life is known in technical terms as a refit. The Lötschberger trains will be in service for a total of 25 years.
The Lötschberger is becoming more energy efficient
The refit will make the trains more energy efficient. The interiors will be equipped with CO2 sensors so that the supply of fresh air can be controlled as needed in the future. The interior lighting will also be renewed. The old neon tubes will be replaced by brighter LED lights.
The single sockets will be expanded to double sockets so that passengers will have two sockets per four-person compartment in the future.
In addition to the technical modernisation measures, the exterior design of the Lötschberger will be adapted to that of the MIKA trains, produces by Stadler. The name Lötschberger will remain, but the lettering on the train will disappear.
The trains were named Lötschberger after they were purchased because they were purchased specifically for use on the Bern-Brig route via the Lötschberg mountain route. The trains are now in use throughout the BLS area.
Modernising the 25 Lötschberger trains will take around three years in total. BLS is overhauling the trains in its own workshop in Bönigen. To ensure that daily rail operations continue, a maximum of two trains will be modernised at a time. The refit will cost around CHF 17 million (EUR 17.1 million) and will be fully financed by regional passenger transport.
The BLS put the Lötschberger trains into operation between 2009 and 2013. The refit will coordinate the decommissioning of the Lötschberger fleet with that of the NINA fleet.
The two fleet types can be replaced by a new vehicle at the same time. This will enable the BLS to harmonise its fleet and become more efficient.
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