SBCTA Stadler DMU Out for Delivery
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Delivery is under way for Stadler’s second U.S.-manufactured order, three low-floor FLIRT DMU (diesel multiple-unit) trainsets for San Bernardino County Transit Authority (SBCTA). The first unit is out for delivery from Stadler’s Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing facility. This order follows DMUs built for Trinity Metro’s Texrail line in Fort Worth, Tex., in 2019.
SBCTA ordered the three FLIRT ((Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train; German Flinker Leichter Intercity und Regional Triebzug) diesel-electric units from Stadler US Inc. in September 2017 for its Arrow passenger rail service, also known as the Redlands Passenger Rail Project, a nine-mile, five-station line linking the San Bernardino Transit Center and the University of Redlands. SBCTA’s FLIRT offers 116 seats and additional standing room for 120 passengers. The DMU’s design complies with Federal Railroad Administration Alternative Vehicle Technology (AVT) requirements for shared-use (passenger/freight) corridors. The DMU also meets Federal Transit Administration Buy America requirements.
In addition to the three DMUs, in 2019 SBCTA and Stadler signed the first-ever contract to supply a hydrogen-powered train for the U.S.—the FLIRT H2, currently in development in Stadler’s Switzerland headquarters and planned for a 2024 introduction.
“This initial shipment represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and collaboration to improve transit options in San Bernardino County,” said SBCTA President Curt Hagman. “It is also the pivotal first step to bringing cleaner transit technologies that will effectively move our residents throughout the region.”
“We are pleased to deliver these state-of-the-art vehicles to San Bernardino County this year, said Stadler US Inc. CEO Martin Ritter. “We are confident that our DMUs will allow SBCTA to provide excellent passenger rail service to customers and that passengers will enjoy travelling on the new trains after successful testing completion. This is just the beginning of a longstanding relationship between Stadler and SBCTA. As we finish up the DMU project, we have already started the FLIRT H2 project.
