SWITZERLAND: Mountain railway and cable car operator Rigi Bahnen has ordered four more tailor-made rack-and-pinion trains from Stadler.
Six Stadler Riggenbach rack system 1·5 kV DC Bhe 4/6 EMUs have been operating on its route between Vitznau and Rigi Kulm since 2022. The additional trainsets of the same type are intended to be used on the operator’s other line, up ‘the Queen of the Mountains’, which climbs from Goldau to Rigi Kulm.
‘The procurement of additional vehicles for the line between Goldau and Rigi Kulm is an important step for us in terms of quality, efficiency and sustainability’, said COO Jörg Lustenberger on December 10.
Christoph Leiterer, Head of Engineering for tailor-made vehicles at Stadler, said the trains to be manufactured at the company’s Bussnang site ‘are designed specifically to meet the requirements of both our customer and the route’.
The two-car aluminium bodied 1 435 mm gauge EMUs will be 34·8 m long and 3 000 mm wide with 150 seats arranged 2+3 and space for 53 standing passengers. The seats will be slightly reclined to compensate for the gradient during the journey, with large drop-down windows and upward-facing front windows which will allow passengers to enjoy the spectacular views.
The EMUs wil be designed to be accessible for people with reduced mobility as well as for those with pushchairs and winter sport equipment, with the trains having ski and sledge racks with water drainage systems.
There will be four powered cogwheel axles for traction on the steep gradients in all weather conditions. The trains will also support regenerative braking, with services travelling uphill reusing energy from downhill journeys.
