NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) has signed a 10-year framework contract with Stadler Rail for a fleet of 160km/h Flirt Flex EMUs, based on the Flirt4 platform. The deal includes a base order of 36 trains, with a value of €400m, comprising 18 four-car units and 18 six-car units, which are for operation solely within the Netherlands, operating at 1.5kV dc.

The passenger capacity of a four-car Flex is 202 seats, of which 32 are in first class, plus 102 passengers standing. The six-car variant offers 302 seats, of which 32 first class, plus 165 standing.

NS says it will not disclose the total amount of trains that it might order under the framework. These include multi-system units that could operate cross-border services to Belgium and Germany.

The contract, which was not disputed by an unspecified number of other bidders, was signed at Stadler’s Bussnang headquarters in Switzerland on November 18, with a ceremony attended by NS CEO, Wouter Koolmees and Stadler chairman, Peter Spuhler.

The trains will be manufactured at Stadler’s plant at Siedlce in Poland, with delivery due to start in 2030, followed by entry into service later the same year. They will be maintained by NS subsidiary Nedtrain.

“It is important to us that these trains are reliable and modern,” says Koolmees. “They are suitable for various routes and services. This means we are well equipped for the future and can continue to meet the changing needs of our passengers.”

NS says the Flex EMUs will help it to expand capacity as it is anticipating an increase of ridership of up to 10% by 2030. The new units will eventually replace some of the 131 Sprinter Light Trains (SLT) built by a consortium of Siemens and Bombardier between 2007 and 2012.

NS and Stadler will jointly finalise the design of the train which is suitable for both inter-city and fast regional (Sprinter) services. They will combine Sprinter characteristics of fast acceleration and braking with interiors fitted out for lower volume longer-distance services, including only one door per car.

This latest order for Flex EMUs, when added to other recent fleet orders, including 60 CAF Double-Deck New Generation (DDNG) EMUs and 109 Alstom ICNG high-speed trains, means NS is investing over €2bn in new rolling stock.

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