Stockholm stocks up on rolling stock

The Stockholm transport authorities, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), have ordered 16 Coradia Lirex (X60) commuter trains worth about €120 million from Alstom.

Approval from the Stockholm county council is pending for five of the 16 trains. The trains will be delivered between September 2007 and April 2008.

This order corresponds to an option included in the initial contract for 55 commuter trains signed in 2002. The new order brings the number of Coradia Lirex trains to be manufactured for SL at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter, Germany to 71. The first 18 Coradia Lirex trains in service have been in regular passenger service in Stockholm since last August.

The trains are specially designed for the harsh Swedish climate. The main traction equipment is located on the roof of the vehicle to protect the sophisticated traction components against ice and snow build-up on the tracks. The roof-mounted equipment also facilitates maintenance work. Accumulations of ice and snow on the roof and in the underframe are avoided.

At 107 metres in length, this train is the longest articulated commuter train in the world, with a capacity for 900 passengers and a top speed of 160 km/h. Alstom says the trains are up to 95 percent recyclable and boast a low energy consumption due to their lightweight steel construction.