INNOTRANS: Stadler presented four cars of a Flirt Nordic Express long-distance trainset it is supplying for Norwegian state-owned rolling stock company Norske Tog at InnoTrans 2026.
The four cars from the Type C daytime configuration were on show. These included a bistro car, a family/play saloon and two passenger cars with standard and reclining seating.
Norske Tog ordered 17 long-distance trainsets from Stadler under a contract signed in 2023. The eight-car Flirt Nordic Express trains have been specifically developed for Norwegian long-distance services.
The project is progressing from vehicle production towards commissioning and testing, Julian Zeitzmann, Norske Tog’s Project Manager for the fleet told Railway Gazette International at an InnoTrans preview event on August 19 at Stadler’s Swiss sites in St. Margrethen and Altenrhein.
‘Manufacturing and testing activities are progressing. The first vehicles are expected to be delivered to Norway in January next year for testing and approval before entry into service in 2028. All the trainsets are expected to be put into service by 2030’, he said, while stressing that no precise date for deployment could yet be confirmed.
The first 13 trainsets will be electric multiple-units, with the final four to be delivered as electro-diesel sets, although they will also have a limited ‘last mile’ battery capability.
‘The trainsets, which feature a day into night configuration, will be deployed on all the long-distance routes in Norway’, Zeitzmann confirmed. ‘]We are] starting with the Bergensbanen (Oslo – Bergen), then the Sørlandsbanen (Oslo – Stavanger), Dovrebanen (Oslo – Trondheim) and Nordlandsbanen (Trondheim – Bodø).’
The Flirt Nordic Express fleet is being procured to renew Norway’s long-distance passenger train fleet and to improve passenger experience, operational reliability and accessibility on long-distance services, he added. The new trains are intended to replace several of the existing long-distance train fleets that currently operate both daytime and overnight services.
‘Decisions regarding the future use, retention or retirement of existing rolling stock will be taken separately and are therefore outside the scope of the current procurement project’, Zeitzmann pointed out. He said it would be ‘premature to conclude whether the introduction of the new fleet will mark the end of locomotive-hauled passenger services in Norway. That will depend on future operational and fleet decisions.’
Flexible configuration
The framework order included options for up to 100 trainsets. The initial 13 EMUs and four bi-mode sets are all formed of eight cars, and will be approximately 220 m long, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h.
Features include reclining seats, accessible areas, larger bistro sections, and dedicated luggage and storage space for skis, bicycles and other large items.
‘Potential additional train orders are currently being assessed by Jernbanedirektoratet [the government railway directorate] and other relevant stakeholders’, Zeitzmann reported. ‘Norske Tog has options available under the contract, but no decision on exercising additional options has been communicated so far.’
Substantially different
Stadler’s Deputy CEO Ansgar Brockmeyer told Railway Gazette International that the Flirt Nordic Express differed substantially from the manufacturer’s existing family of regional trainsets.
‘It is a version of the Flirt that is non-articulated, with different types of coaches that can be exchanged. There are seating, sleeping, bistro and luggage coaches. It is optimised for long-distance traffic’, he explained.
The trains have been designed to cope with demanding winter conditions, with bespoke features including a reinforced front end with a strong snowplough, and an underframe assembly that is designed to shield the traction equipment from snow and ice. ‘Compared to other trains manufactured by Stadler, the trainsets have enhanced thermal insulation’, he added.
The four bi-mode trains in the order will initially be delivered as electro-diesel sets, but Brockmeyer predicted that the diesel powerpack could potentially be replaced by traction batteries in the future. ‘There is already a last-mile battery onboard anyway, which is suitable for depot and station shunting, and capacity for approximately 9 km of running.’
Source: rg