07.10.08
Roll-out of the first FLIRT for Helsinki
Today, Junakalusto and Stadler Rail jointly celebrated the roll-out in Bussnang of the first of 32 FLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) for the Helsinki S-Bahn. Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy, a subsidiary company of the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen and the Finnish State Railway, awarded this order, with a value of around Euro 190 million, to Stadler at the end of 2006.This is also the first broad-gauge train from the Stadler company. For the first time, the trains will be designed with a particularly impressive winter capability, which is necessary for operation in Finland. The vehicles will be used in the region around Helsinki and in the south of Finland.
High winter capability
Peter Spuhler, CEO and owner of the Stadler Rail Group, is very pleased: „We are proud that, for the first time, we are delivering a broad-gauge vehicle with an outstanding winter capability and thereby presenting the innovative capability of Stadler.“ Yrjö Judström, Managing Director of Junakalusto Oy: „We are very pleased that we are receiving new vehicles for the continuously growing traffic in the Helsinki agglomeration that meet the very latest requirements for comfort.“
The wide Finnish gauge of 1524 mm, the larger structural clearance and, above all, the climatic conditions in Finland with temperatures down to -40 °C demanded an extensive revision of the standard gauge FLIRT. To improve winter performance, the insulation is 50 -100% thicker than on the earlier trains, and the windows are triple-glazed. The well-proven air conditioning system that has been installed in many FLIRTs has been supplemented with a heat recovery plant: the warm exhaust air from the passenger compartment is used to pre-heat the incoming, cold fresh air. This will make a considerable energy saving possible. In addition, heater blowers are installed in the entrance areas in order to keep the internal climate as constant as possible when passengers leave or board the train. Floor heating in the entrance areas additionally increases the level of comfort.
Features of the vehicles
The 4-part train has 260 seats, a low-floor section of almost 80%, a toilet facility suitable for use by disabled persons and a multi-function space for wheelchairs, prams or bicycles. Thanks to the Finnish car body width of 3.2 m, a convenient 3+2 seat arrangement can be provided without any problem. A modern information system with 11 TFT screens will provide information about the timetable, the next connections or the weather. Six SOS intercoms enable the passengers to contact the driver or the conductor. The train can reach a speed of 160 km/h and will be initially equipped with the Finnish EBICAB 900 train protection system, whereby a later conversion to the European ETCS system is planned.
The first two FLIRTs will now undergo extensive testing for one year before the production series delivery begins.
Junakalusto Oy was founded in 2004 by the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen (total 65%) and the Finnish State Railway VR Ltd (35%) as a Rolling stock company. It buys and maintains the rolling stock that it makes available to VR for its operations. Rail traffic in the Helsinki conglomeration, in which the new FLIRT will be operated, is growing at an annual rate of 4%. 42.2 million passengers are transported per year in the closer agglomeration, with 20.5 million more within a wider radius.
Stadler Rail Group, the system provider of customised solution in rail vehicle manufacture, has locations in Switzerland (Altenrhein, Bussnang and Winterthur), in Germany (Berlin-Pankow und Velten), in Poland (Siedlce), in Hungary (Budapest, Pusztascabolcz and Szolnok) and in Algeria (Algiers). The whole group has more than 2,200 employees. The best-known vehicle families of the Stadler Rail Group are the GTW articulated railcar (437 trains sold), the RS1 Regio Shuttle (364 trains sold) and the Fast Light Innovative Regional Train, FLIRT (514 trains sold) in the complete train sector, and the Variobahn (245 vehicles sold) and the newly developed Tango (90 vehicles sold) in the streetcar sector. In addition, Stadler also manufactures passenger coaches and diesel-electric locomotives, and is the leading manufacturer of rack-railways vehicles worldwide.
For further questions, please contact:
Stadler Rail AG
Tim Büchele, Media Spokesman, CH-9565 Bussnang
Tel. +41 (0) 71 626 31 57 / Fax +41 (0) 71 626 20 28
tim.buechele@stadlerrail.ch, www.stadlerrail.ch
Yrjö Judström, Managing Director, Metropolitan Area Rolling Stock Ltd
00530 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 9 31034986, Mobile +358 50 5591902, Fax +358 9 31035090
yrjo.judstrom@hel.fi
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