The Italian railway operator SSIF ordered additional narrow-gauge trains as part of the Framework Agreement signed in December 2022
Thanks to a European funding of 35.7 MEUR guaranteed by the funds of the modified NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), the railway operator SSIF (Società Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie) has been able to sign in the last few days a further contract, bringing to four the total number of four-car EMUs ordered to Stadler, thus expanding its fleet for the cross-border rail operation on the Domodossola (Italy) - Locarno (Switzerland) section of the Vigezzina-Centovalli railway line.
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The four-car electric trains, with a total length of 64 metres and 144 seats, can be configured as well into shorter compositions - with two or three cars - to meet different operating requirements. The signing of the new order confirms Stadler’s leading role in the supply of narrow-gauge rolling stock for which the Swiss company is market leader in Italy as well as in Europe.
The Managing Director, Mr. Daniele Corti, who signed the contract together with Mr. Maurizio Oberti - Stadler's Sales Director for the Italian market, points out that the renewal of the SSIF fleet is taking place at the same time as the one launched in Switzerland by the Ferrovie Autolinee
Regionali Ticinesi company, which together with SSIF operates on the Vigezzina - Centovalli railway line. “With this company, an excellent and profitable cooperation relationship has existed for over 100 years, aimed at maintaining both uniformity of vehicle construction and the same
operational quality standards.Moreover, thanks to Stadler's flexibility and the significant attention the train manufacturer pays to customer needs, it was possible to develop a train project that meets both the increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and the necessity to find ‘a suitable slot‘ in the production process to schedule the construction of additional rolling stock within the timeframe prescribed by EU with the NRRP funds. All this will made it possible to complete the order under the existing."
Framework Agreement.
The General Manager, Dr. Matteo Corti, while thanking Stadler for the professionalism shown in the management of the project, also expresses his satisfaction with the achievement of this important milestone, which is crucial in the context of the expansion and technological innovation plan that SSIF is implementing, following the renewal of the ten-year concession obtained in 2021.
In fact, the expansion of the fleet with the four new Stadler trains will allow the Vigezzina-Centovalli railway, which for hundred years represented a decisive service for both local and crossborder public transport and an excellence for tourism in the area, to guarantee operation’s
continuity and regularity, significantly increasing the overall quality level.
Dr. Ansgar Brockmeyer, Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales at Stadler, said: “We are very proud that SSIF has placed to Stadler an order for additional trains and that one of our products has met the challenging requirements and needs of both railway operators of the Vigezzina-Centovalli railway line.We’d like to thank SSIF for the trust given to Stadler and look forward to continuing our fruitful,mutual cooperation.”.
Sustainable solutions on rails
The solutions offered by Stadler will make it possible to travel on the Vigezzina-Centovalli railway line with even more efficient and environmentally friendly trains, promoting increased passenger comfort combined with the high performance standards of the new vehicles. In addition to SSIF's new electric trains, Stadler is also leading the development of innovative and sustainable battery- and hydrogen-powered narrow-gauge rail vehicles for other Italian Regions, pursuing together with those operators the goal of decarbonizing rail transport in Italy.
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