Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and Stalder signed a contract for the manufacture and delivery of up to 33 Flirt Evo multiple units. The order is part of the framework agreement signed in 2022 between SBB, Thurbo and RegionAlps for the development and delivery of 510 single-decker Flirt trains.
On signing the framework agreement, Stadler was commissioned to produce 286 FLIRT trains in an initial call-off order in 2022. Just one and a half years later, Stadler unveiled the train to the pubic with the debut of the first of the 286 Flirt vehicles.
The new vehicles will be used for cross-border transport and will enable more efficient, faster direct connections to operate between Northwestern Switzerland and Alsace. The new multiple units will be approved in Switzerland and France.
The trains have two integrated traction current and railway safety systems to ensure operation in both countries. In addition, up to three Flirt Evo can run coupled in France while in Switzerland, mixed traction with other Flirt Evo up to quadruple traction is also possible. This contributes to flexible deployment and therefore economical operation of the fleet.
The Flirt trains have been optimised and improved in terms of overall capacity. They provide more storage space for bicycles, pushchairs and large items of luggage. At the same time, the vehicles take into account the needs of passengers with reduced mobility. Each vehicle has a total passenger capacity of 146 seats, or 292 seats in double traction.
“We are proud to be able to expand rail services to France with our proven best-selling FLIRT model. The signing of this contract option represents a significant step forward for cross-border transport. We are looking forward to working with SBB to offer passengers more comfort and flexibility with our modern FLIRT trains optimised to meet demand, thereby ensuring a better travel experience,” Peter Spuhler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Stadler said.
From the end of 2030, the multiple units will run between Switzerland and France in order to offer efficient direct connections on regional services every 30 minutes. Like the vehicles in the first call-off order, the Flirt Evo multiple units for France will be produced at the Stadler production site in Bussnang.
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