"Flirt" Whizzes Through the North-East of Hesse - in Bifurcated Traffic
03 June 2005 16:07
The new commuter platform of Stadler Rail AG, carrying the sympathetic name "Flirt", will go into service in the north-east of Hesse starting 2006. A total of 14 three-car and six four-car commuter trains will then operate in the area between the cities of Kassel, Fulda, Bebra and Göttingen - "using bifurcated traffic patterns", Voith Turbo Scharfenberg Sales Manager Holger Costard emphasizes.
In railway jargon, "bifurcated traffic" means that trains are re-combined several times along their service trajects. For instance, a train consisting of two three-car units leaves Kassel and is separated at the junction in Bebra. One of the units then proceeds to Fulda, whereas the destination of the other unit is Göttingen. On their way back, the trains are re-united in Bebra and arrive as one train with six cars in the Kassel railway station.
"In order to meet these high coupling demands, the bidding consortium, consisting of Hamburger Hochbahn and Hessische Landesbahn, decided in favor of Stadler as car builder on the basis of good co-operation in past projects. Stadler then made it a harmonious package by choosing Scharfenberg couplers for their Flirts", says Holger Costard.
Stadler vehicles are in service all around Europe. Apart from the Südthüringen Bahn, Bochumer Stadtbahn or Bayerische Zugspitzbahn, national railways in Greece and Slovakia use vehicles of this manufacturer and they are all equipped with Scharfenberg couplers.
Voith Turbo, the specialist for hydrodynamic drive, coupling and braking systems for road, rail and industrial applications, as well as for ship propulsion systems is a Group Division of Voith.
Voith sets standards worldwide for papermaking technology, power transmission, energy technology, and industrial services. Voith was founded on 1 January, 1867. With approximately 24,000 employees, annual sales of €3.3 billion and over 200 locations worldwide, Voith is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.
For more information on this company:
Voith Turbo - Power Transmissions, Couplers and Retarders for Rail Vehicles
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