Stadler secures contract in Ticino: nine tram-trains for the FLP

Modern, bright Stadler tram-trains will soon be running on the regional line between Lugano and Ponte Tresa in the sunniest part of Switzerland. Stadler and Ferrovie Luganesi SA (FLP) signed a contract for the delivery of nine tram-trains.

Roberto Ferroni, the Director of Ferrovie Luganesi SA, and Dr. Thomas Ahlburg, Group CEO of Stadler, signed a contract for the supply of nine seven-car metre-gauge TRAMLINK tram-trains. The order is linked to an option for three additional vehicles. Negotiations for a twenty-year maintenance contract for the vehicles are well under way.

Thomas Ahlburg commented on Stadler’s latest sales success in Switzerland: “We are proud to be able to supply a TRAMLINK rail vehicle to Switzerland for the first time. It meets the highest passenger demands in terms of local transport as well as being designed for extremely economic operation, both now and in the future following the expansion of the network.”

Roberto Ferroni, the Director of FLP, also expressed his views on the contract signature: “These new trains represent a huge step forwards. Up to 300 passengers can now experience a journey in air-conditioned vehicles with a low-floor design throughout that makes it easy for everyone, including those with limited mobility, to board and alight.”

For Stadler, this collaboration is a welcome reunion with the FLP: In 2002 Stadler had already supplied the FLP with five low-floor intermediate cars produced in Altenrhein. The vehicles were incorporated into five of the seven commuter trains currently in operation.

Purchasing the new trains is the FLP’s response to increased demand in commuter traffic and the planned expansion of the network. In an initial phase, the new tram-trains will be put into service on the route between Lugano and Ponte Tresa. From 2027 they will then run through the new 2.3 kilometre tunnel right into the centre of Lugano. The trains will ultimately also be used on the new track section between Bioggio and Manno.

Tram-trains intelligently combine the characteristics of a tram with those of a train. There is no need for passengers to change from a tram to a regional rail vehicle on such a direct route. The TRAMLINK tram-train for the FLP is a seven-car bi-directional vehicle. It can reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h. It can seat 70 people, and offers standing room for a further 228 passengers. The trains can also be operated in double traction mode to transport a total of almost 600 passengers.

Quick boarding and alighting is ensured by the eight double doors per side and the low-floor passenger compartment which allows uninterrupted access along the entire length of the train, even for people with limited mobility. These trains turn commuting into a whole new travel experience thanks to their light interior, air-conditioning in the passenger compartment and driver’s cab, and a modern passenger information system. Several multifunctional zones provide extra space for people with limited mobility, pushchairs or bicycles. The vehicles are 45.4 metres long and 2.4 metres wide. They meet the collision security standards for rail vehicle categories EN 15227 C-lV and C-lll, scenario lll.

The new TRAMLINK trains will be ready for commercial use in 2020, when they will replace the complete fleet of current Be 4/12 built in 1978.