Bussnang TG – Stadler is the first train manufacturer in the world to develop narrow-gauge multiple units with hydrogen drive. The customers for a total of 25 of these trains are rail operators in Sardinia and Calabria. They are produced at the headquarters in Bussnang.
Stadler has been awarded the contract for a total of 25 hydrogen trains. Under two framework agreements, the train manufacturer will supply ten of these to the Sardinian rail operator Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti(ARST) and 15 to Ferrovie della Calabria(FdC). According to its media release, this makes Stadler the first train manufacturer in the world to supply narrow-gauge hydrogen trains. In addition, the company from the St.Gallen-Lake Constance area is now supplying hydrogen trains to Europe for the first time, following the FLIRT H2 for North American passenger transport.
Following two public tenders in June, the contracts have now been signed with Stadler. In addition to development and production at Stadler’s headquarters in Bussnang, they also include delivery and maintenance. Both projects are funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The funding comes from the Next Generation EU program, which was launched in response to the Covid pandemic.
Stadler, ARST and FdC are linked by a long-standing and innovative partnership, Ansgar Brockmeyer, Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales at Stadler, is quoted as saying. “We are proud to work together to drive the decarbonization of rail transport in Italy. The new narrow-gauge hydrogen trains are a world first and pioneering sustainable rail transport on narrow-gauge lines worldwide.”
Stadler also announced that ÖBB-Holding has awarded Stadler the contract for up to 120 battery trains. They are intended to replace the existing diesel fleet of Austrian railroads. ce/mm
