09.12.09
Stadler’s kick-off in Bergen (Norway) – the first Variobahn reaches its destination on time
The first of 12 Variobahn trams was delivered to Bergen yesterday. The rest of the fleet is scheduled to be delivered to the customer Bybanen by the end of 2010.
“Just under two years from signature of the contract to delivery of the first Variobahn is a relatively short time for such a large project – we are very proud to have met this demanding schedule,” explains Ulf Braker, Sales Manager and trams project manager at Stadler Pankow GmbH.
The Variobahn was loaded onto a low-loader, transported via Ellund to the Hirtshals ferry terminal and thence to Bergen by ferry. “The journey from our service centre in Velten to Bergen took six days and nights, and we are delighted that everything worked out,” Ulf Braker adds. The punctual arrival in Bergen and the easy unloading were welcomed by the operator of the new Variobahn, Bybanen. Moreover, the Variobahn travelled to the plant in Bergen under its own steam.
Construction of a completely new tram network was started in Bergen in 2008, heralding a new era of tram systems in Scandinavia.
The first section of the system, which runs for approximately 10 kilometres between Bergen city centre and the suburb of Nesttun, has already been completed. Passenger operations with the bidirectional vehicles will start on this route from summer 2010. Until then, the Variobahn trams will complete test operations on the route and serve as driver training vehicles.
Stadler Rail Group, system supplier of customer-specific solutions for rail vehicle construction, has locations in Switzerland (Altenrhein, Bussnang and Winterthur), in Germany (Berlin-Pankow and Velten), in Poland (Siedlce), in Hungary (Budapest, Pusztaszabolcs and Szolnok) and in Algeria (Algiers). The Group has a workforce of over 2,400 people around the world. The best-known vehicle series from the Stadler Rail Group are the articulated multiple-unit trains GTW (495 trains sold), the Regio Shuttle RS1 (402 trains sold), the FLIRT (547 trains sold), the double-decker DOSTO (57 trains sold) in the railway segment, and the Variobahn (264 trains sold) and the newly-developed Tango (90 trains sold) in the tram segment. Furthermore Stadler Rail manufactures passenger carriages and two-axle locomotives and is the world’s leading manufacturer of rack-and-pinion rail vehicles.
For further information please contact:
Katrin Block
Sales and Marketing
Stadler Pankow GmbH
Telephone: +49 (0)30 9191 1501
www.stadlerrail.com
