Stadler presents first doubledecker carriage produced in Hungary

Stadler’s continuous investments in the plant have contributed significantly to the local economy, creating many jobs over the last 15 years.

On 17 January 2025, Stadler celebrated the 15th anniversary of the opening of its car body plant in Szolnok, Hungary. The highlight of the occasion was the unveiling of the first ever aluminium double-decker carriage body to be produced by Stadler in Hungary, in an event presided over by Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Peter Spuhler, CEO of Stadler. This achievement is a significant landmark in the history of the Hungarian rail industry. It highlights the importance and growth of the Szolnok plant over the last 15 years and has been made possible by a EUR 45 million development program announced in 2023. Peter Spuhler announced further development of the plant. The introduction of a special, so-called friction stir welding (FSW) technology will make production more sustainable with the need of less raw material, energy, and waste. The plant can start using the new technology at the end of this year.

Largest production site in Central and Eastern Europe
Opening in 2009, the factory was originally designed for up to 200 carbodies to be built there per year and for 200 members of staff to work at the facility. The original team of 100 people,who had been trained in Switzerland, produced 52 carbodies in the first year. Over the past 15 years, the factory has become the largest production site and one of the most modern facilities in the CEE region. The plant, which is now Stadler’s largest production site for carbodies, will produce not only single-deck but also double-deck carbodies in parallel for the group, as a result of the last investment announced in 2023. The investments create170 jobs in total.

Stadler Szolnok has produced a total of 5,600 carbodies, exceeding the previous figure of 5,000 in September 2023, which had been a record for the factory. Trains with carbodies from Szolnok are operating in 14 different countries, including the US, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. To date, Stadler has invested EUR 200 million in Szolnok, indicating the significance of the Hungarian factory in the performance of the group.

Strategic market
As well as being a significant employer in Hungary, Stadler has also built 195 state-of-the art vehicles, which are in service in this country. MAV and GYSEV run a total of 143 FLIRT trains, 40 KISS units, and 12 Citylink tram-trains. Stadler vehicles in MAV’s fleet cover a total of 35 million km per year. This equates to a third of MAV’s total distance covered and means that half of MAV’s passengers travel on Stadler trains every year. Stadler trains operating in Hungary boast enviable rates of availability and reliability, operating at more than 90 per cent every year.

www.stadlerrail.com