FLIRTs fit the fleet bill for East Anglia
After retaining the East Anglia franchise, Abellio is planning a total replacement of its stock. Step forward Stadler, with its popular FLIRT electric multiple unit. ROBIN WHITLOCK reports
Abellio has won the bid to retain the East Anglia franchise against stiff competition from FirstGroup and National Express. Not all passengers have welcomed the news, but the company is attempting to alleviate concerns about punctuality and comfort with a planned total overhaul of the East Anglia train fleet ( RAIL 807).
The new stock will feature 665 Bombardier Aventra suburban electric multiple unit (EMU) cars, as well as 58 FLIRT electro-diesel (bi-modal) and EMU units supplied by Swiss company Stadler. The FLIRT units will consist of ten 12-car EMUs for London to Norwich services, another ten for the Stansted Express airport services, with 14 three-car bi-modal trains and 24 four-car bi-modal trains allocated to regional services.
This is the first time Stadler has won an order for its main line trains in the UK. The FLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) is a multiple unit railcar generally operated in combinations of two to six articulated carriages, each carriage sharing a bogie with its neighbour. Stadler decided to develop the type following the success of its ‘Gelenktriebwagen’ (GTW), and in response to a demand among European operators for a new and longer train.
Having studied a number of different vehicle concepts during the design phase, the company ultimately decided to base its design on the GTW concept. The FLIRT therefore looks very similar to the GTW in some respects - both types have a curved front end, for example. However, while the power car in the GTW is located in the middle of the train, situated in a short windowless vehicle, the FLIRT’s power cars are located at each end.
The new design had to fulfil a number of objectives. The train would have to be equipped with a powerful drive system that also reduced energy consumption while having a multiple voltage and system capability. The vehicles had to be lightweight in order to reach a top speed of 160kph (100mph), with future development potential for 200kph (125mph). It had to be low-maintenance with a long service life and with improved standards of comfort in the passenger compartments.
The carriages also had to be customisable to suit different operator requirements across Europe, with low floors and entrances aligned with platform heights - thereby eliminating the need for a step. This is going to be somewhat interesting given that (unfortunately) the UK has varying platform heights in different parts of the country. However, another feature of the floor on FLIRT units is that they have an even transition between each compartment.
The FLIRT design also incorporates multisystem electrical equipment options, with an output of 1,300 kilowatts per drive unit and high IGBT power converters to enable high acceleration. The train can be adapted to suit an overhead voltage of 15kV AC, 25kV AC or 3kV DC, and employs regenerative braking.
The bogies are manufactured by Stadler at its workshops in Winterthur. They consist of 500kW power bogies located at each end of the train with unpowered Jacob’s bogies supporting the articulated carriages, thus
Although it is too early to say with any great certainty how the UK FLIRTS will be fitted out, some idea of what they might look like can be gained from looking at the units currently in operation in various countries around the world.
welded H-frame. The traction motors are located on these bogies and are fully sprung in order to minimise damage to the track. Torque is transmitted to the wheels via Cardan shafts and there are mechanical brakes on all the wheels - some of the brake units are equipped with springs, enabling them to act as parking brakes.
The FLIRT can be supplied in a variety of formats, with interiors that can be customised according to passenger demand. As a bi-modal unit it can also be delivered to operators with either diesel or electric drive systems. Although it is too early to say with any great certainty how the UK FLIRTS will be fitted out, some idea of what they might look like can be gained from looking at the units currently in operation in various countries around the world, particularly in Europe.
The carriages on FLIRT units are made of aluminium, using standard profiles that can be supplemented by special sections. These can be connected to the main body by welding, making the coach body more durable and less prone to corrosion while also being able to resist damage in minor accidents. Another standard safety feature is the intercom system that enables passengers to contact the driver directly in the event of an emergency.
The carriages can be easily and rapidly disconnected thanks to automatic coupling, which is usually of the Schwab or Schwarfenberg type. This will almost certainly help to alleviate some of the punctuality
Most FLIRTS have three to four doors on each side, although some smaller units only have one. The doors are of the double-leaf swing-plug type that is pushed out from the carriage body and then slides flush along it. The floors within the entrance to each carriage have extendable ramps, enabling easier access for disabled passengers and those with heavy wheeled luggage. The compartments are equipped with air-conditioning systems and have large windows, while the toilets are of the closed-vacuum type that are easily accessible to wheelchairs.
The customisable interior layout allows operators to adapt trains not only to location but also to seasonal demands. For example, the South Tyrol Transport Authority (STA), operating in the region of the Adige River, often has to cope with a large influx of cyclists during the summer. With the FLIRT, the company can convert the interior of each compartment into a large open space suitable for cyclists. The seating, number of doors, toilets, passenger information systems and other features can all be adjusted to suit particular passenger requirements, while the compartments can be fitted out with First Class compartments and dining and buffet cars.
The driving position on the FLIRT is also customisable, although the driving position remains aligned with the central axis of the train. The front end of the vehicles are constructed from composites (as per the SBB Re 460), and reinforced with glass fibre.
A look at FLIRTs in service with a number of European operators might prove useful for those trying to imagine how the UK units will be configured, at least with regard to those earmarked for the inter-city routes.
For example, in 2008 Poland’s PKP ordered 20 eight-car 3kV DC units for use on four
long-distance inter-city routes. These are capable of 160kph and entered service in December 2015. The passenger compartments, both First and Second Class, are all airconditioned and are equipped with electric sockets at each seat. They also have real-time passenger information screens fitted, and ramps to enable easier access by wheelchair users. All are equipped with ETCS Level 2.
The FLIRTs operated by Swiss Federal Railways have different equipment options for operation in neighbouring countries, with the default version being the RABe 523 used on the Stadtbahn Zug and the RER Lausanne. A number of other configurations are operated in Germany, France and Italy.
In the Czech Republic, LEO Express has operated five five-car FLIRT units on the Prague-Ostrava route since 2012. The units were manufactured in Hungary and are designated Electric Unit 480. The passenger compartments are equipped with internet and passenger information systems supplied by Nomad Digital, and feature seats equipped with a folding footrest as well as a folding tray moulded to fit notebook computers.
Passenger accommodation includes Business Class and Premium Class compartments, in addition to First and Standard Class. They include at least one toilet for wheelchair users, with another having changing space for babies. Ninety per cent of the passenger floor space is aligned with the platform height.
MTR in Sweden operates six five-car FLIRTS on its 455km (283 miles) Stockholm-Gothenburg route. These units are capable of 200kph and are fitted with the L10000 automatic train protection system. They have been adapted for winter conditions with floor heating, heat recovery systems, double-wall interior gangways and snow scrapers situated between the bogies and carriage body.
Seventy per cent of the floor space is aligned with the platform height, and each car has seats for 244 passengers. It is also worth noting that the units have received a 93% passenger approval rating and were judged to be best in class in August 2015.
When the sets are rolled out in 2019 it is possible that the UK FLIRTs might look similar to the units operated by these three European operators, with another possible model being the 250kph-capable EC250 being developed by Stadler for SBB. The EC250 will be the world’s first low-floor high-speed train, and is expected to enter service in 2019.
The FLIRT is Stadler’s most successful design so far, with the type operated in countries across the world. The first company to order one was SBB in 2002, with the first vehicle
delivered in June 2004. By spring 2009 more than 500 units had been sold, most of them in Europe.
Artist’s impressions of the UK version released so far show the FLIRT with a front end similar to the new Voralpen units being developed for the St Gallen-Lucerne VoralpenExpress route in Switzerland. But apart from that, very few details of the UK FLIRTs have been released.
However, there is another fast inter-city train type due to make its appearance in the UK very shortly - notably the AT300, or rather its variants the Class 800, ‘801’ and ‘802’. These units have received widespread attention in the media, and thus people are generally more familiar with this type of train than they are with the FLIRT (unless, that is, they have travelled widely on FLIRTs in operation on European lines).
The AT300 was originally developed for use in Japan. UK variants are currently being developed for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), with the aim of replacing High Speed Trains on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) and the East Coast Main Line (ECML). They will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 225kph (140mph), providing Network Rail upgrades the track. It is more likely that they will travel at 125mph until then. Another variant, the Class 802, is also being developed for GWR as well as for TransPennine Express and Hull services.
The new IEP trains will consist of 5-12 cars constructed from double skin aluminium. They have robust bodies constructed through the use of friction stir welding, giving excellent damage resistance in the event of a crash and minimal distortion.
Some of these new trains have already arrived in the UK and are undergoing testing, being scheduled to enter service on the GWML in 2017 and on the ECML in 2018 (although the GWR has already officially unveiled its first Class 800 trainset, at a ceremony in June). According to RAIL columnist Christian Wolmar, the IEP trains will become the standard type in the UK over forthcoming decades.
It seems, therefore, that we are about to see a major transition in the types of trains in operation on the UK network, with the HST most definitely on its way out. At least one enthusiast group in the UK has attempted to purchase an HST for preservation, so the writing is already on the wall for these elderly veterans.
Although the standard type in most parts of the country looks as if it will be the IEP variants, the FLIRT seems likely to play a major role in attempts to address the customer dissatisfaction issue on the East Anglia network when it appears in 2019… with an added bit of European character.