Hungary set for first double-deck trains
Stadler has signed a framework agreement with Hungarian national rail operator MÁV-Start to provide up to 40 six-car double-deck KISS EMUs.
The double-deck trains, which will have a maximum operating speed of 160km/h, will be the Eastern European country’s first, according to Stadler.
The value of MÁV-Start’s first firm order, including training and spare parts, will amount to €195 million and, under the order, it has an obligation to order at least 10 units from the Swiss railway rolling stock manufacturer.
With the expectation that they will be operational by the spring of 2019, the new trains will consist of six coaches and 600 seats, 50 per cent more passengers than compared to a single decker unit of the same length.
The 155.88 metre long, 2.8 meter wide and 4.6 metre high units will be deployed primarily on the Budapest-Vác-Szob and Budapest-Cegléd-Szolnok suburban railway lines between 2019 and 2020.
The double deck trains will have four toilets, air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. Other features include an EVM train protection system and ETCS Level 2 signalling. MÁV-Start has the flexibility to gradually procure the 40 units, in line with funding from the EU.