EUROPE: Stadler has delivered the first of seven dual-system electric multiple-units custom-designed for Mont Blanc Express services between France and Switzerland.
The 55 km metre-gauge route is operated by Transports de Martigny et Régions, which is responsible for the Swiss section from Martigny to Le Châtelard, and SNCF Voyageurs which runs the French section to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet.
The SFr76m EMU order was signed by Stadler, SNCF Voyageurs and TMR in June 2022, with SFr43·4m contributed by the Swiss side. It was placed as part of a wider initiative to modernise the route by 2029.
TMR designates the EMUs as Beh 4/8 and SNCF as Z890. They are painted half blue for SNCF and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, and half red for TMR, Switzerland, Valais and the Chamonix Valley.
The two-car trainsets are 40 m long and 2 674 mm wide, with two twin-leaf doors per side. They are fully accessible, with a capacity of the 224 passengers, including 89 seated, and feature large panoramic windows for views of the Alpine landscape.
The Swiss part of the route has steep gradients fitted with the Strub rack system, while the French part is adhesion only. The line is electrified at 850 V DC, with the French section being third rail only with overhead electrification used on parts of the Swiss section.
The EMUs are equipped for regenerative braking and have energy-efficient air conditioning systems. The axleload is 13·6 tonnes.
The first train was delivered from Stadler’s Bussnang factory to Martigny on April 23-24. It arrived by rail on standard gauge flat wagons, before being transferred to the narrow gauge line by lorry.
All seven trains are to be delivered this year, and commissioned at the TMR workshop in Vernayaz for entry into service from mid-2026. They will replace Vevey/Adtranz/SLM Z800 units in service since 1996-97 which do not meet current Swiss accessibility requirements.
‘We are delighted that we can help improve passenger comfort on the spectacular railway line between Valais and Haute-Savoie with our trains’, said Frédéric Evequoz, Sales Manager for tailor made vehicles at Stadler. ’The new vehicles signify a commitment to modern and environmentally friendly travel, cross-border co-operation and technological innovation.’
