Stadler has delivered the first of three diesel multiple units (DMU) trains for the San Bernardino County Transit Authority (SBCTA) in California, USA.

Stadler‘s manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City is building the trains, which are Stadler’s second order from a USA transit authority.

The first order was in 2019 for FLIRT trains for Trinity Metro’s Texrail line in Fort Worth, Texas.

The design of the DMU vehicles allows the operation of a mixed fleet, including freight trains. They comply with the Alternative Vehicle Technology requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration, and meet the Federal Transit Administration’s Buy America requirements.

The FLIRTs for SBCTA have116 seats and additional standing room for 120 passengers.

Upon arrival in San Bernardino County, the DMUs will undergo extensive testing on SBCTA’s infrastructure.

Besides the three DMUs, in 2019 SBCTA and Stadler signed a contract to supply the first hydrogen-powered train to run in the United States. The hydrogen train, designated FLIRT H2, is currently in development at Stadler’s headquarters in Switzerland and is planned to be introduced in 2024 as part of Arrow.

In September 2017, the SBCTA ordered three diesel-electric low-floor multiple-unit FLIRTs from Stadler for the authority’s “Arrow” passenger service. Known as the Redlands Passenger Rail Project, Arrow trains operate on a nine-mile commuter route with five stations between the San Bernardino Transit Center and the University of Redlands.

Martin Ritter, CEO Stadler US Inc., said: “We are pleased to deliver these state-of-the-art vehicles to San Bernardino County this year. We are confident that our DMUs will allow SBCTA to provide excellent passenger rail service to their customers and that passengers will enjoy travelling on the new trains after successful completion of testing,”

“This is just the beginning of a longstanding relationship between Stadler and SBCTA. As we finish up the DMU project we have already started the next project for SBCTA: the hydrogen train FLIRT H2.”

Curt Hagman, President of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, said: “This initial shipment represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and collaboration to improve transit options in San Bernardino County. It is also the pivotal first step to bringing cleaner transit technologies that will effectively move our residents throughout the region.”

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