Swiss railway company SBB is beginning an extensive renewal programme to give the Astoro train fleet a fresh start after 3.2 million kilometers on their wheels.
SBB announced that employees at the Bellinzona plant have renewed the first of 19 Astoro trainsets. The entire fleet will probably be made fit for continued safe and reliable use in north-south traffic by the end of 2027.
EUR 125 million for the Astoro fleet
To ensure that the Astoro trains continue to run smoothly in the second half of their lives, SBB employees at the Bellinzona plant are implementing numerous renovation measures.
These include the overhaul of the front cabin, the replacement of windows and lighting, the partial replacement of the toilets, the complete repainting of the car body (Series 1) and the renewal of the lighting (LED) in the passenger compartment. The entrances will receive new carpets.
The work program also includes upgrading and overhauling the bogies, the front coupling and the replacement or refurbishment of pantographs, hydraulic units, valves and compressors.
Since the first vehicles have been rolling since 2009 and now have around 3.2 million kilometers on the clock, corrosion deposits must also be eliminated.
The renovation work, which affects the entire fleet, is expected to last until the end of 2027. Around 60 employees from the Bellinzona plant are involved in the major vehicle project, and SBB is investing around 120 million francs (EUR 125 million)
The Astoro trains travel between Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The first renovated Astoro will leave the Bellinzona plant this late summer after commissioning measures have been completed and will go into commercial operation.
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