Stadler award first contract in Lithuania

Credit: Stadler

LTG Link, Lithuanian railway operator, and Stadler have signed a contract for the delivery of a fleet of state-of-the-art FLIRT vehicles. This is Stadler’s first contract in Lithuania and a major sales success in the Baltic region. With the delivery of electric and battery-electric trains, Stadler contributes to Lithuania’s path to sustainable mobility.

LTG LINK will acquire 15 FLIRT multiple units (mandatory scope) with plans to exercise optional scope and additionally procure up to 13 electric FLIRT Intercity multiple units, 15 battery-electric FLIRT multiple units with 100km range and 11 battery-electric FLIRT multiple units with 70km range. In a first call-off, Stadler will deliver nine electric FLIRT for intercity operations and six battery-electric FLIRT to be operated on non-electrified railway lines. The company will also supply a technical support and spare parts for 10 years from the delivery of the last vehicle.

“Stadler has already sold over 2,500 FLIRT trains worldwide – it is a tried and tested, reliable and comfortable vehicle model based on a light-weight modular design, that is available in a number of drive variants, meets the expectations of the most demanding customers and is environmentally friendly,” Peter Spuhler, Executive Chairmain of the Stadler Group, said. “I’m happy that our vehicles will soon carry passengers in Lithuania too. I’m certain that Lithuanians will love FLIRT trains and enjoy travelling on them.”

“Every day, we strive for more and more people to switch to environmentally friendly railway transport,” Linas Baužys, Head of LTG Link, said. “We can confidently say that the new trains will make a significant contribution to the realisation of our sustainable mobility goals. They will bring a significant leap in the quality and experience of train travel for all passengers. The design works of trains adapted specifically for Lithuania will soon begin. Battery-powered trains adapted to harsh climate conditions and wide gauge railways will be produced for the first time in Europe. And together with the supplier that won the public procurement, we will ensure their efficient operation for many years.”

Designing trains for LTG Link, Stadler’s engineers have focused largely on travel comfort and state-of-the-art vehicle design. Comfy seats in passenger areas, a friendly interior design and a bistro will ensure a high comfort event during long-distance travels.

The nine FLIRT Intercity electric multiple units are 93m five-car units. They will seat up to 200 passengers, including 16 passengers in the first class. Each vehicle will accommodate 14 to 30 bicycles, according to the season of the year and route-related requirements. A spacious baggage area and a toilet will also be provided. The trains will meet the high requirements of all types of passengers, both families with kids seeking to relax during their journey and business passengers who will be seated in a dedicated train area to ensure they have comfortable working conditions and may hold business talks. There will also be a bistro area on board the vehicle, where passengers can order a meal.

The six FLIRT battery electric multiple units with a length of over 65m will consist of three passenger cars and a dedicated Power Pack car housing motive-power batteries. Each vehicle will seat up to 128 passengers and six to 30 bicycles according to the season of the year and route-related requirements. Vehicles will have a toilet and vending machines selling snacks to passengers. The vehicles will replace diesel trains that are now operated on non-electrified sections. They are designed to navigate the most challenging routes of the Lithuanian railway infrastructure without a power supply from the contact system, so they will run on non-electrified lines emission-free.

Both vehicle types will cater to the needs of persons with reduced mobility – entirely free of any stairs, they will allow for smooth movement aboard. They will have lifts to assist with the boarding of passengers on wheelchairs from the lowest platforms and adapted toilets. An optimum number of vehicle doors (5 doors in an EMU and 3 doors in a BEMU) will provide for an efficient passenger exchange while improving the acoustic comfort on trains. With the contract awarded from LTG Link, Stadler continues the success story in the Baltic States. Already in 2012 and 2014, Stadler supplied 38 FLIRT multiple units to the Estonian operator Elron.