The first of 32 FLIRT railcars built by Swiss group Stadler Rail for Finland has entered service in Greater Helsinki.

The 3.2m-wide vehicle is Stadler’s first broad gauge train and is operating on 1,524mm gauge tracks.

The trains feature underfloor heating and triple glazing and insulation up to twice the normal thickness to suit the Finnish temperatures of as low as -40°C.

Stadler recently delivered two trains to Finland, the second of which is expected to enter service in mid-December.

The €190m order for 32 trains had been placed by the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen and by Finnish State Railways in 2006.