The Regional Bus and Rail Company of Ticino (FART) and Stadler have signed a contract for the supply of eight new electric multiple units that will replace the old rolling stock of the reputed Centovalli railway in Ticino from 2023.
The new passenger train fleet consists of 4 four-car narrow-gauge multiple units for the route from Locarno to Domodossola in Italy. Four more three-car trains are intended for regional transport services in the Centovalli, in the district of Locarno, Ticino.
CHF 94 million (EUR 86.6 million) is the value of the contract and the follow-up costs of the investment will be financed by the Confederation and the canton of Ticino.
The regional trains are around 49 metres long, whereas the international multiple units measure approximately 63 metres. The car bodies are made of aluminium.
In a three-car version, the train provides 106 seats and a total capacity of 264 passengers and in the four-car formation, the train accommodate 343 passengers with 141 seats.
Stadler has focused particularly on vehicle accessibility in order to give all passengers, including those with limited mobility, unhindered access to platforms. In addition, the trains have areas reserved for wheelchairs as well as for bicycles and prams.
The multiple units also have a Wi-Fi network that enables passengers to access FART and multimedia content and are equipped with an innovative passenger information system that completes the travel experience in the new trains for the Centovalli railway.
The modern and more efficient fleet will allow FART to meet the needs of public transport as well as those of the region’s tourism industry, which is growing in the long term. The new electric multiple units also fully comply with the Law on Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities.
For Stadler, this will be the third order from Ticino within the past two years and is the first time that the Swiss manufacturer will build new, customised narrow-gauge multiple-units for regional and cross-border rail transport in Ticino. The best-selling Flirt train is already in use for TILO cross-border regional transport, while the first TramLink trains will be operated by Ferrovie Luganesi (FLP) in Lugano from summer 2021.
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