SWITZERLAND: Metre-gauge operator Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler a firm contract to supply a further 25 ABeh 8/12 Orion rack electric multiple-units.
‘This order represents a milestone in Stadler’s history and is the largest single order for rack trains that we have ever received’, said Stadler Deputy CEO Dr Ansgar Brockmeyer when the SFr266m deal was signed on November 7.
The order has been placed as an option on a March 2020 framework agreement which covered up to 37 of the three-car EMUs, with a SFr148·5m firm order for an initial 12 to be delivered by the end of 2023.
The 11 kV 16·7 Hz EMUs feature lightweight materials, energy-efficient drive components, oil-free transformers and a ‘sleep mode’ to reduce energy consumption.
Production of the second batch of units is to start in early 2025 for entry into service in 2026-29. This will enable MGBahn to operate all regional services with multiple-units by 2030.
‘A uniform fleet will have a positive impact on operational options and bring more flexibility in planning’, said MGBahn CEO Fernando Lehner.
The Optimaler Regionalzug Im Oeffentlichen Nahverkehr (Optimum Regional Train for Public Transport) brand name for the EMUs follows the astronomical theme of the railway’s Komet (KOmfotabler METerspur, comfortable metre gauge) trainsets and the Polaris (POpular LAndscape Railway In Switzerland) vehicles for the Gornergrat mountain railway.
