Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) passenger unit MÁV Start has unveiled the first of its 42 fast light innovative regional trains (FLIRTs) at the Kápolnásnyék railway station, Hungary.
MÁV Start received first two FLIRTs from Swiss locomotives manufacturer Stadler Rail, as part of a €267m contract signed in March 2013.
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According to MÁV-START CEO Csaba Ungvári, the new vehicles will operate on the lines between Budapest and Székesfehérvár, Pusztaszabolcs, Szob, Veresegyház-Vác, Cegléd-Szolnok, and, when electrification is completed, Esztergom.
Ungvári said: "Almost the two-third of the trains will be covered by FLIRTs in the suburbs of Budapest. This way, we can serve the quarter of the journeys which mean 34 millions of travelling by modern multiple units."
The new units, which will supplement MÁV’s existing fleet of 60 FLIRTs that were ordered in 2006 and 2007, are likely to start operating in fall this year after the receipt of all required permissions to enter commercial service on the Székesfehérvár line.
The remaining FLIRTs are scheduled to be delivered by autumn 2015 and will operate on the suburban railways of Budapest, Hungary.
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By GlobalDataStadler Hungary country manager Zoltán Dunai said: "With the contract signed last year 112 FLIRTs are going to operate from the autumn of 2015 on the lines of Hungary.
"The procurement is a significant milestone not for MÁV and GYSEV but also for Stadler, because this is going to be the largest homogenous FLIRT fleet in the world.
According to Dunai, Stadler had received orders to produce nearly 950 multiple units from 15 countries.
Image: Stadler Rail delivers new FLIRT EMU to MÁV-START: Photo: courtesy of Stadler Rail.
