The competent court in Stockholm has dismissed a competitor’s objection. This means Stadler has received the green light to supply 33 four-carriage double-decker trains to the Swedish railway company Mälab. The total volume of the order amounts to SEK 3.5 billion. Furthermore, the order includes an option for an additional 110 vehicles.
In mid-June 2015, Stadler was awarded the order for 33 KISS trains. The rail vehicle manufacturer was thrilled; however, the celebrations were somewhat short-lived. One of their competitors had raised an objection against the tendering process. The competent Swedish court has now dismissed this objection. This means that Stadler and Transitio can sign the agreement, and the contract between the two companies can now go into effect. “We are very pleased about the court’s decision and are proud that we are able to continue supplying trains to Sweden”, said owner and CEO of Stadler Rail Group, Peter Spuhler.
The first vehicle will be delivered in 32 months. The trains will run in the area around Lake Mälaren, to the west of Stockholm. They are approved for a maximum speed of 200 kilometres per hour. The order for Mälab is the first call-off from the framework agreement that the Swedish leasing company Transitio concluded in 2014 with three suppliers for the procurement of regional railway vehicles. The framework agreements will be in effect for a period of seven years. Stadler is the only supplier that was permitted to sign the framework agreement to provide two different types of vehicles: the single-decker FLIRT and the double-decker KISS trains.
Unparalleled worldwide
One special aspect of the Stadler offer is the fact that the 33 KISS vehicles are compatible with Stadler’s FLIRT trains. This allows for a mixed fleet of single- and double-decker trains – the only one of its kind in the world.
Furthermore, the Stadler vehicles also feature excellent resistance to severe winter weather – something it has proven with its trains in Norway, Finland, Estonia, Russia and Belarus, where extreme conditions occur regularly in the winter. This exceptional winter weather resistance is a result of the closed engine rooms, double-wall intercar gangways, snow scrapers between the bogies and carriage bodies, a heat recovery system, floor heating and high-quality insulation. Thanks to the lightweight aluminium design of the carriage bodies, the trains can accelerate more quickly, which results in a significant decrease in the energy required as well as lower operating costs compared to conventional vehicles. KISS trains are currently in operation in a total of six different European countries.
Wider vehicle bodies
The new generation of the double-decker vehicles features an open, fluid architectural design. The passenger flow in the entrance area has been optimised – a change that makes a positive difference in particular in railway systems in urban regions with a large number of commuters, such as the commuter railway systems in Zurich and Berlin. The new KISS trains offer more legroom for passengers, and the train also provides a more open, spacious feeling. Stadler adapts the KISS vehicle bodies for Mälab so that the trains fit the Swedish clearance profile, which is higher and wider than the Swiss standard.
Swedish designer
MTR Express ordered six intercity FLIRT trains from Stadler for the Stockholm–Gothenburg route already in November 2013. These trains went into operation in March of this year. Since the beginning of the year, Stadler has operated a maintenance site in Stockholm. As part of this current order, Stadler will of course once again involve the Swedish supply industry. The company has already worked together with a Swedish designer on the interior design of the trains.
About Stadler Rail
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.
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