SWITZERLAND: The first of 60 Stadler RABe512 double deck electric multiple-units for use on Interregio services was unveiled by Swiss Federal Railways at Zürich’s main station on July 7.
SBB awarded Stadler a SFr1·3bn contract to supply the EMUs in 2021, having ordered similar units from the Kiss family in 2010 and 2015.
The six-car 160 km/h sets are 152 m long with 466 seats arranged 2+1 in first and 2+2 in second class.
Features include low-floor and obstacle-free boarding, electric sockets, multifunctional areas with space for pushchairs, a total of eight cycle spaces in two locations with sockets for electric bikes, five toilets and a modern passenger information system.
The first four trains are expected to enter passenger service on the Zürich – Schaffhausen route on July 17.
From the December 2023 timetable change, they will operate on the Bern – Zürich – Chur IR35, Basel – Zürich Flughafen IR36 and Zürich – Schaffhausen RE routes. They will gradually be deployed on other routes over the coming years, with delivery of the last EMU planned for the end of 2026.
