NORWAY: The first CAF Oaris high speed EMUs entered traffic with Oslo airport express operator Flytoget on June 3.
Designated as Class 78 under the Norwegian rolling stock classification scheme, the eight Oaris trainsets were ordered by Flytoget in April 2015. Each is formed of four aluminium-bodied cars giving a total length of 102 m. The trains are designed for a maximum operating speed of 245 km/h, although they will initially be restricted to 210 km/h pending improvements to the infrastructure. Each set can carry 248 seated passengers, of which 10 are folding seats.
The core Flytoget service provides 6 trains/h between Oslo S and Gardermoen Airport, covering the 52 km route in 22 min. Most trains run through the capital’s cross-city tunnel, with three per hour starting from Drammen and two from Stabekk.
The Oaris sets are intended to augment Flytoget’s fleet of 16 Class 71 EMUs delivered in 1997-98; these were supplied by Adtranz, being assembled locally at Strømmen using carbodies manufactured in Kalmar. The CAF trainsets will provide a 50% increase in capacity.
The first Oaris prototype was developed by CAF for Spanish national operator RENFE in 2011, though the Flytoget fleet is the only production series to be ordered so far.
