23.09.10
Intercity FLIRT for Norway
Tormod Gjermundsen, Vice President, NSB Passenger Division and head of Technical Division of Norwegian State Railways (NSB), and Peter Spuhler, owner and CEO of Stadler Rail Group, have presented the first intercity FLIRT train at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin today. NSB have ordered 50 of these FLIRTs, which will partly replace the existing vehicles. This represents the largest fleet renewal in the history of NSB. For Stadler it is the first intercity train able to reach a top speed of 200 km/h. In just 24 months since the contract was signed, Stadler has designed and built the new vehicle.
NSB are counting on modern rolling stock from Stadler
Two years ago NSB awarded Stadler the contract to build 50 five-part FLIRT trains as well as the option for a further 100 trains. Of these, 24 trains are the intercity version, fitted with high-quality interiors and intended for use on mainline services in eastern Norway. A further 26 vehicles will be put into service in the Oslo regional commuter railway system.
Tom Ingulstad, Senior Vice President and head of NSB Passenger Division says: “We are proud to announce that the first train is now rolled out from the factory. Thousands of hours of detailed design and production have resulted in a train which we are confident will serve our customers. Cooperation with Stadler has been excellent. Their design focus on safety, customer comfort and reliability was very valuable.”
The NSB FLIRT represents yet another milestone for Stadler in Scandinavia following the contract for 32 FLIRTs for the commuter railway system in Helsinki and 17 trams for the city of Bergen. In addition to the special intercity design, the 50 NSB FLIRT vehicles stand out thanks to their advanced ability to fulfil the requirements of severe winters: the vehicle is built to withstand temperatures of up to –40 degrees Celsius. The concept is based on the FLIRT for the Helsinki commuter railway system, which has now been in successful operation for two years, and the experience has been positive. Peter Spuhler is very pleased with the results: “We are very proud that we have been able to fulfil the high demands of the engineering specifications for vehicles with the FLIRT concept, and have managed to design and build this new vehicle in just 24 months.”
“We are confident the train will be able to handle the Norwegian winter well because of the way the train has been built, utilising Stadler’s experience from services now running in both Switzerland and Finland. We look forward to continued good cooperation with Stadler until the trains are ready to be put into operation in Norway, and beyond” said Tormod Gjermundsen, Vice President, NSB Passenger Division and head of Technical Division.
The modified FLIRT for NSB
The vehicles ordered by NSB are fundamentally based on the FLIRT that has already been sold by Stadler 618 times. In some areas, the modular construction of the FLIRT has been further developed and adapted to the needs of NSB. The five-part NSB multiple-unit trains have three drive units instead of two, as would be normal for the four-part FLIRTs. The Norwegian gauge, broader in comparison to continental Europe, makes a carriage width of 3,200 millimetres possible, allowing for a comfortable 3 + 2 seating arrangement.
NSB has emphasized universal access in the basic design so that the train will be available to every customer irrespective of handicap. Among other features, large parts of the train have low floors, making it easier for all passengers when entering or leaving the train. Spacious toilet facilities and clear signposting conform to these same criteria. NSB has set strict environmental requirements for the new trains. These requirements cover both production, operation and subsequent recycling of material when the trains leave service. NSB sets specific requirements for energy efficiency in operation in order to reduce power consumption. NSB has also conducted a life cycle analysis (LCA), mapping the train's environmental impact from production to disposal.
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), in the Czech Republic (Prague), in Italy (Merano) and in Algeria (Algiers). The Group has a workforce of over 3,000 people around the world. The best-known vehicle series from Stadler Rail Group are the articulated multiple-unit trains GTW (539 trains sold), the Regio-Shuttle RS1 (450 trains sold), the FLIRT (618 trains sold), the double-decker KISS (125 trains sold) in the railway segment, and the Variobahn (284 trains sold) and the newly-developed Tango (122 trains sold) in the tram segment. Furthermore Stadler Rail manufactures passenger carriages and locomotives and is the world’s leading manufacturer of rack-and-pinion rail vehicles.
NSB AS, Norwegian State Railways, is one of Norway’s foremost transport companies, with roots going back as far as the launch of Norway’s first railway service in 1854. The Group’s main activities are passenger transport by train and bus and rail freight operations. The NSB Group consists of a number of wholly-owned and partly-owned subsidiaries. NSB's wholly-owned subsidiaries include the bus company Nettbuss AS, the property company ROM Eiendom AS and the rail company NSB Gjøvikbanen AS. In May 2005, NSB Anbud won the public tender to operate the Gjøvik line for 10 years and started operating services in summer 2006. NSB also owns 55% of the freight transport company CargoNet AS, the remaining shares being owned by the Swedish company GreenCargo AB.
For further information please contact:
Stadler Rail Group
Tim Büchele, Media Spokesman
Telephone: +41 (0)71 626 31 57
Mobile: +41 (0)79 765 49 31
E-Mail: tim.buechele@stadlerrail.ch
NSB
Åge-Christoffer Lundeby, Communication Manager
Mobile: +47 916 53 449
E-Mail: lundeby@nsb.no