NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS has revealed plans to order ‘around 60’ Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units to meet its short term capacity requirements.
NS announced the planned order on December 5, when it confirmed that following the regulatory standstill period it had signed a firm contract worth more than €500m for preferred bidder CAF to supply 118 EMUs, with options for more. The CAF Civity units are to be known as Sprinter New Generation by NS, and are due to enter service from 2018.
However, NS said it needs to provide more passenger capacity by 2016, and so it intends to order around 60 Flirt EMUs. These would be similar to EMUs already operating in other countries, with wide gangways and a wheelchair accessible toilet.
Meanwhile, four potential suppliers have been shortlisted for the contract to supply the Intercity New Generation fleet of units for use from 2021 on both 1·5 kV DC conventional lines and the 25 kV 50 Hz HSL-Zuid high speed line.
