The Swiss company Stadler has received a €115m contract from Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) for ten five-car FLIRT (Fast Light Intercity and Regional) trains.
Of the total ordered, four will be diesel-electric drive (DMU) for inter-regional use, three will be inter-regional electric multiple units (EMU) and three will be regional EMUs.
Stadler has designed the FLIRT trains to be operable on the 1,520mm Russian broad gauge rail and to adhere to the Russian technical standards, GOST. The trains are 3.48m-wide and 4.60m-high.
The trains feature a bistro and the seats in first class will have electric controls.
The inter-regional DMU is 106.76m long and provides seats for 271 passengers. It has an additional short car body, named PowerPack, which contains four diesel engines and parts of the drive equipment. The inter-regional EMU vehicles and regional EMU vehicles are 92.96m-long and can accommodate 236 and 255 seated passengers, respectively. The regional trains also offer enough space for standing over shorter journeys.
Stadler head of sales Ansgar Brockmeyer said: “We are very pleased that ADY has added the FLIRT to its fleet after several orders for different vehicles from Stadler.
“ADY will have a state-of-the-art vehicle thanks to the five-car trains from the FLIRT family. ADY will receive the first diesel-electric FLIRT which meets all GOST requirements.”
Azerbaijan is currently converting its rail lines to a 25kV alternating current from a 3kV direct current. Stadler will deliver the first diesel-electric FLIRT trains in 2022.
In 2014, ADY ordered 30 new passenger cars for operation on the Kars–Achalkalaki–Tbilisi–Baku route.
In 2015, ADY awarded a €70m contract to Stadler Rail for five 1,520mm-gauge Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units (EMUs). ADY also ordered double-deck cars from Stadler in 2018.
