First tram-train from joint procurement unveiled at InnoTrans

INNOTRANS: Stadler and Saarbahn have unveiled the first of the Citylink tram-trains to be completed as a part of a huge joint order placed by six German and Austrian transport agencies which have teamed up to reduce costs.

The operators launched a joint procurement to keep the price of tram-trains competitive with pure railway vehicles, which are technically easier to implement and therefore cheaper. Benefits are expected to include a lower unit cost and simplified approvals processes.

The January 2022 framework agreement covers 504 tram-trains worth €4bn, with a €1·7bn firm order for the supply of 246 tram-trains over 10 years from 2024 and the provision of 16 years of maintenance.

The three-car vehicles to be manufactured at Stadler’s València plant will be largely standardised, but with the number of doors, the boarding and coupler heights and the livery adapted to the customer’s requirements

The tram-train on show at InnoTrans is for Saarbrücken’s Saarbahn network. It is a bidirectional vehicle 37 m long and 2 650 mm wide, with 100 seats and 133 standing places.

‘With these tram-trains, we are gradually converting our entire fleet to the new and distinctively stylish, spacious trains’, said Karsten Nagel, Managing Director of Saarbahn. ‘This makes public transport in Saarbrücken and the region served even more attractive. Saarbahn has been part of the VDV tram-train project from the very beginning. Joint procurement as part of the TramTrain consortium leads to a valuable exchange of experience between operators and more advantageous procurement costs for each individual company.’

‘Six brave operators took the step to work together, and today we are proud to show off the result’, added Iñigo Parra, Stadler’s Executive Vice-President, Spain, when the tram-train was unveiled on September 24. ‘There is a common bogie, subassembly and aerodynamic design for all the cars, but we are flexible enough to allow tailored elements for each individual network.’