SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways announced major rolling stock contracts worth a total of SFr1·5bn on June 30.
The competition to supply Zürich's third generation of double-deck coaches has been won by Stadler, which will supply 50 six-car EMUs worth SFr1·02bn. They will be the first double-deck trains to be produced by Stadler, which saw off bids from Alstom and a consortium of Siemens and Bombardier. Siemens is supplying the city's second generation of double-deck S-Bahn trains (RG 5.06 p274).
The 160 km/h aluminium-bodied trains will be built at Stadler's Altenrhein plant for delivery between 2011 and 2015. They will have 112 seats in first class and 414 seats in second.
SBB has also placed a SFr360m order with a consortium of Bombardier and Siemens for 121 double-deck intermediate cars which will be used to lengthen existing Zürich S-Bahn trainsets; eight of the new vehicles will go to Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn. The SZU cars will enter service in 2010, with the SBB vehicles following from 2011.
The current double-deck push-pull fleet which was introduced from 1989 will be refurbished by SBB, including the installation of air-conditioning. SBB intends that the Stadler trains will be able to operate in multiple with its existing stock.