European train manufacturer Stadler have signed a contract to supply 9+4 intercity EMUs for GYSEV Rabberbahn.

The trains which are planned to enter service in just over 3 years, are to be introduced on services in Hungary on the Sopron and Szombathely routes from the capital of Budapest, before eventually running on services into Austria.

Trains will be constructed in Szolnok, Stadler’s centre for train bodyshell construction, where Hungarian specialists will work on the five-car aluminium bodyshells of the units.

This will be the first time in 30 years that new intercity trains have been built in Hungary for the railways that operate within the country.

The main contract is flexible and open to adjustment, so far the order consists of building nine cars, with an option to build four complete EMUs, this gives the train operator GYSEV a final decision time of 3 months, to decide exactly the number of trains it wants to be built by Stadler before the building of the trains begins in full.

In terms of delivery, Stadler will have 3 years to build and get the first of these trains up and running ready for mainline testing.

After just over 3½ years, the last of the units to be built should be in front-line operation. After this is complete, Stadler can then peruse authorisation for the trains to run into Austria.

The funding of these new trains is from GYSEV who have taken out a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The new trains will differ from the previous FLIRT trains that were built and supplied to GYSEV between 2013 and 2018.

Advances in technology in that time will see the newest traction motors fitted to the trains which are greener, cheaper and more accessible to maintain.

They will also be able to operate with lower energy to reach the same speeds which keeps maintenance costs down and improves the service life span of the trains.

The trains will also have adjustable and removable seating, enabling seats to be added or removed depending on the demand between the summer and winter timetables, during winter, 280 seats will be provided including 32 first-class seats.

In the summer, the number of seats can be reduced to enable up to 18 bicycles to be brought on board the trains as the demand for biking grows in the warmer seasons.

Along with this, charging sockets will be provided along with air conditioning, passenger information screens, and 3 toilets, 1 of which will be a universal toilet accessible to all.

The trains will be bright and spacious and will also include a dining area for customers to consume their food and drink when purchased from the onboard vending machines.

The construction of these trains will comply with the latest international standards, while the most up-to-date safety features will also be installed.

Once complete, the overall length of a five-coach train will be 106.2 metres long, and they will have a top speed of 160 kph.

Since Stadler first built its pioneer FLIRT electric train in 2002, it has become their most successful train design, building over 2,500 FLIRT EMUs which are now operating in 21 countries.

The plant in Szolnok has built a total of 3,883 coaches for trains, which is equal to just under 1,000 full train units.