SWITZERLAND: Montreux-Oberland Bahn has awarded Stadler a SFr12m contract to supply four low-floor gauge-changing panorama coaches for the future Goldenpass Express service between Montreux and Interlaken.
The order is being financed by MOB with the support of the cantons of Bern, Vaud and Fribourg and the national government. The vehicles are to be produced at Stadler’s Bussnang plant for delivery in late 2023 and early 2024.
In 2018 MOB awarded Stadler a contract for 20 gauge-convertible panoramic coaches, which was later reduced to 19. These 18∙75 m long aluminium-bodied vehicles are to be formed into four trainsets, with three cars retained as spares. Each four-car set will be matched with one of the accessible low-floor cars to provide a five-car formation.
MOB had initially planned to use modified cars drawn from its existing fleet built by Raility, but this was ruled out in favour of ordering new vehicles.
The launch date for the Goldenpass Express has been delayed until the end of 2022 as a result of a number of issues including uncertainty in the tourism and travel market.
- Read more about the GoldenPass Express project and MOB’s 1 000 mm/1 435 mm gauge changing equipment in the April 2021 issue of Railway Gazette International magazine.
