Stadler has presented the new six-car Kiss double-decker EMU for Slovakian rail passenger operator ŽSSK at Rail Business Days in Ostrava, the Czech Republic. This will be the first time that Stadler double-decker multiple units will run on the Slovakian rail network.
The new double-decker multiple-unit trains are intended for use on the regional lines in the western and central Slovakia, especially in the areas around Žilina, Kuty and Nové Zámky.
In December 2021, the two companies signed a EUR 76.95 million contract for the supply of four Kiss double-decker EMUs scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2023.
The six-car EMUs are 155 metre-long and have more than 600 seats at 1st and 2nd class. Like all Kiss trains, they are characterised by high drive power and powerful acceleration. With the electric drive powered by the overhead line, the new train can reach a maximum speed of up to 160 km/h.
The trains have step-free boarding and four toilets, one of which is for people with reduced mobility (PRM) and in addition it is providing places for wheelchair users, multifunctional compartments which also offer ample storage space for bicycles, prams and luggage.
“We are very pleased to be able to present our reliable, safe and comfortable Kiss double-deck multiple unit for Slovakia.
Both the rail operator and the passengers will benefit equally from the modern vehicles. We are particularly proud that with this order we can build on the common history with ŽSSK,” Martin Halmo, the Stadler Head of Sales for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, said.
The new Kiss trains are equipped with air conditioning for the passenger compartments and driver’s cabs.
Passengers benefit from a modern passenger information system and Wi-Fi. Cameras inside and outside as well as on the roof for observing the pantographs ensure safe railway operations. The vehicles are also equipped with a certified energy consumption measuring system and a precise passenger counting system. The train drivers benefit from a modern and ergonomically designed driver’s cab.
“If we want people to switch from the comfortable car to the train, we have to offer them similarly comfortable and reliable modern trains, for leisure trips to regularly use. I am pleased that we are now working with Stadler again after the delivery of the reliable Tatra trains. I believe that our cooperation will go smoothly again this time,” Roman Koreň, the CEO of ŽSSK said.
Besides Kiss double-decker EMU fleet, ŽSSK already operates trains manufactured by Stadler such as 21 single-deck GTW electric railcars for both narrow and European gauge lines, while six GTWs with diesel-electric trains operate on Bratislava – Dunajská Streda route since 2003. Since 2021, five GTW rack-and-pinion / adhesion traction multiple units and a multifunctional rack-and-pinion / adhesion traction locomotive for the meter-gauge electric TEŽ mountain railways in the High Tatras.
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