Stadler completes first sale of its new Metelitsa tram on the Russian market

Stadler has developed a new broad-gauge tram and successfully introduced it onto the market, with LLC Transport Concession Company (TCC) in Saint Petersburg ordering 23 Metelitsa trams. The majority of the production work is being carried out at Stadler’s Minsk factory and in Switzerland. The handover date for the first six vehicles is scheduled for the end of July 2017.

Stadler has developed and built a new broad-gauge tram. After being officially unveiled to the public at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk, the prototype went on to tour a number of cities in Russia, and was even awarded a prize by the public at a tram parade in Moscow. Stadler’s strategy has proved successful, with TCC in Saint Petersburg ordering 23 Metelitsa trams.

Stadler is thrilled to have successfully introduced a vehicle of its own design onto the market again. “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and hope that our Metelitsa tram will help us win further tenders in Russia,” said Peter Spuhler, Owner and Group CEO of Stadler. Demand is certainly high, and there are currently several tenders open for broad-gauge trams in Russia. Overall, this equates to several thousand trams, which are expected to be ordered in the next few months – particularly in light of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

TCC is responsible for all development and construction work on the tram network in the Krasnogvardeysky District in east Saint Petersburg. The Metelitsa trams ordered from Stadler are scheduled to begin operating on the district’s new rail network as early as August 2017, offering operating staff and passengers alike the highest standards of comfort in urban transport.

The three-carriage low-floored tram boasts five double-leaf doors on either side, allowing passengers to embark and disembark with ease. Articulated joints for the bogies ensure minimum levels of noise and maximum comfort while the tram is in motion. Inside the vehicles, there are two separate areas for prams, wheelchairs and bicycles. The three-carriage bidirectional vehicles are 33.45 metres in length, have seats for 66 passengers, and have a total capacity of 370 passengers.

This contract is particularly important to Stadler, as the factory in Minsk had been suffering from underutilisation following the oil and gas crisis and the resulting fall in the price of the rouble. The new order from Saint Petersburg has eased the pressure on the factory to a certain extent; however, further orders will be needed to ensure full utilisation. We are also continuing to examine the possibility of relocating contracts from our Central European factories to our site in Minsk.

About Stadler

Stadler has been building trains for 75 years. The system provider of rail vehicle construction solutions is headquartered in Bussnang in Eastern Switzerland, and has a workforce of around 7000 based in various locations across Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Belarus, Algeria, Australia and the United States. Stadler provides a comprehensive range of products in the commuter rail and railway segments: trams, tram trains, underground trains, regional and commuter rail trains, intercity trains and high-speed trains. In addition, Stadler manufactures main-line dualmode locomotives, shunting locomotives and passenger carriages, including the most powerful dieselelectric locomotive in Europe. Stadler remains the world’s leading manufacturer in the rack-and-pinion rail vehicle industry.