Stadler Rail Delivers 50 Flirt Trains to Norway

Stadler Rail delivered its 50th FLIRT multiple-unit train to Norwegian State Railways (NSB) on Friday, right on schedule. All trains were accepted successfully and on time. The approval process by the Norwegian authorities was completed without any problems. NSB ordered 50 of these 200 km/h FLIRTs from Stadler in 2008, making it the largest fleet renovation in the history of NSB. NSB has since ordered a further 20 trains, which Stadler is currently in the process of constructing.

With this order, Stadler Rail has once again demonstrated its high levels of performance and outstanding quality. The contract for the 24 intercity FLIRTs and 26 trains for the Oslo commuter railway system was signed in September 2008, and the first trains left the halls in Bussnang just 24 months later. This is an outstanding, potentially record-breaking achievement for a completely new design of vehicle.

No approval issues
The first trains were then subjected to extensive tests in the harsh Norwegian winter. The NSB FLIRT is specially designed to withstand winter temperatures as low as –40° Celsius. The approval process by the Norwegian authorities was completed without any problems within the planned time frame. All the trains were then accepted by NSB at the first attempt within a fixed acceptance schedule.

Even the “final takeover” was completed on schedule for every single one of the trains delivered. This definitive acceptance of the trains was implemented by NSB once each particular vehicle had been successfully operating passenger services for several months.

As well as two design prizes, in 2012 the project team won the Norwegian Hedersprisen for “outstanding integration of the different requirements of passengers, the four Norwegian disabled associations and the various departments of Norwegian State Railways”.

Source & Photo : Stadler Rail Press Center