24.03.09
Stadler is building an IBS Centre in Erlen
Following the order from the SBB for 50 double-decker trains and the Norwegian state railway (NSB) for 50 FLIRT trains which can be up to 200 metres long, Stadler Rail is having to build a new Train Commissioning Centre (IBS Centre). The existing tracks at the factories in Bussnang and Altenrhein are too short. Stadler Rail has decided to build the new IBS Centre in Erlen in Thurgau.
The total investment, according to the plans at present, will be CHF 35 – 40 million. 60 people will work at this location in the future.
This investment decision is a clear statement by Stadler Rail and Peter Spuhler about Switzerland in general and Thurgau in particular as a workplace.
Erlen makes the running
As a result of its continuing sales successes, Stadler Rail has decided to build its own IBS Centre. Several locations were evaluated. As part of a corporate acquisition, Stadler will now take over the site of the former tank farm in Erlen. The contract was signed last week. The site has a direct connection to the Zurich – Romanshorn mainline, which makes it an ideal location for the IBS Centre.
Romanshorn was another alternative in the running. In the meantime, part of the former shunting yard planned to be used in Romanshorn is needed for the extension of the St. Gallen urban transit system. Although the number of tracks required and the geometry of the tracks have not yet been finalised, the existing geometry would have had to be adapted at a high cost.
In Erlen, the number of tracks available and the geometry is ideal. A particular advantage is the easy connection of the sidings with the main line.
Further strengthening of the Thurgau location
Thurgau as a location will benefit from the construction of the IBS Centre and the creation of further jobs. Peter Spuhler, owner and CEO of the Stadler Rail Group, is delighted: “This new building means we can invest once more in Switzerland as a workplace and strengthen Thurgau in particular. The creation of new jobs, especially in difficult economic times, is important for the region.” There is also an elegant solution for the community of Erlen: the new Stadler building provides a meaningful use for the former waste land. The new halls to be constructed will be about 220 m long and 40 m wide.Six test tracks are planned, on which drive units which are assembled in Altenrhein and Bussnang will undergo a six week testing and commissioning programme before they are delivered to customers. In addition, low-noise setup and testing activities will be carried out on the vehicles. Stadler will employ IBS engineers and specialists in Erlen to carry out the work. Before construction of the new building begins, Stadler has agreed with the former owner that it will undertake restoration work on the former tank farm site, working in close co-operation with the Office for the Environment. A total of around CHF 35 – 40 million will be invested.
Stadler Rail Group, the provider of customised system solutions for railed vehicle construction, has sites in Switzerland (Altenrhein, Bussnang and Winterthur), in Germany (Berlin-Pankow and Velten), in Poland (Siedlce), in Hungary (Budapest, Pusztascabolcz and Szolnok) and in Algeria (Algiers). More than 2,400 people are employed group-wide. The best-known families of vehicles produced by the Stadler Rail Group are the GTW articulated power units (453 trains sold), the Regio Shuttle RS1 (402 trains sold), the FLIRT (514 trains sold) and the DOSTO double-deck rapid transit trains (50 trains sold) in the railway segment and the Variobahn (255 vehicles sold) and the newly developed Tango (90 vehicles sold) in the tramway segment. Stadler also produces carriages and diesel-electric locomotives and is the world’s leading producer of rack-and-pinion railway vehicles.
For further details please contact:
Stadler Rail Group
Tim Büchele, Media spokesman
Telephone ++41(0)71/626 31 57
tim.buechele@stadlerrail.ch