Stadler Pankow has signed a contract with Abellio Rail NRW to deliver 20 five-car Flirt3 electric multiple units (EMUs) for operation on the Lower Rhine rail network in Germany.
Out of the 20 EMUs, 13 will be single-system, while the remaining seven will be multi-system multiple-unit Flirt3 trains.
The new fleet is scheduled to enter service in December 2016 on the Düsseldorf – Emmerich and Wesel – Mönchengladbach lines.
Stadler’s new Flirt3 trains will also perform a non-stop cross-border service on the route between Emmerich and Arnhem in the Netherlands.
The new trains purchased by the rail operator Abellio Rail will be sold to Rhine-Ruhr transport authority VRR, which will be responsible for the finance and then lease them back to the operator.
Each train will have a length of 91m and the single-system multiple-units will have seats for 259 passengers, out of which 32 are in 1st class, while the multi-system multiple-unit trains for cross-border traffic will have the seating capacity for 251 people, with 24 in 1st class.
All the air-conditioned EMUs will have a similar interior design for passenger compartments and will be capable of travelling at a top speed of 160 km/h.
The Flirt3 trains’ multi-system technology will allow a smooth transition between different train control systems and power supply voltages for cross-border traffic between Germany and the Netherlands.
Stadler Pankow director Michael Daum said: "The cross-border traffic into the Netherlands will be a more comfortable experience for the passenger, with no changes required."
The low-floor FLIRT3 trains have entrance areas with gap bridging and sliding steps, which have been designed to meet the needs of passengers with reduced mobility.
Image: Stadler’s new Flirt3 trains are expected to enter service from December 2016 on the Düsseldorf – Emmerich and Wesel – Mönchengladbach lines. Credit: Stadler.
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