SWITZERLAND: The first cars for Swiss Federal Railways’ future EC250 trainsets are nearing completion in the Stadler factory in Bussnang. SBB ordered 29 of the 11-car articulated trainsets in 2014 for use on international services via the Gotthard Base Tunnel, with an option for 92 more.
Stadler plans to show five cars of the first EC250 set at the InnoTrans 2016 trade fair in Berlin in September. A complete trainset will be assembled by January next year, and Stadler expects dynamic testing to start in March.
Branded ‘Giruno’ by SBB, the trains will be able to run at 250 km/h and have a low-floor design to comply with the latest accessibility regulations. They are expected to enter commercial service by December 2019.
