REGION Stockholm has awarded a contract to Škoda Group for 16 two-car EMUs with an option for a further 15 trains. The contract, including the option, spare parts, and driver training, is worth in excess of €230m.
The trains will be deployed on the isolated Saltsjöbanan commuter line which connects Stockholm Slussen with Nacka, Saltsjöbaden and Solsidan and is operated by Greater Stockholm Local Transport (SL).
Each two-car train will be 36m long with capacity for around 250 passengers, including 94 seated. Up to three EMUs can be coupled to form six-car trains during peak periods. The trains will have an environmentally friendly air-conditioning system running on clean propane.
All bogies will be powered on each train. The line is currently being upgraded from 750V dc to 1.5kV dc overhead electrification and the western end of the line from Slussen to Henriksdal is currently closed for reconstruction and is due to reopen in 2028. Škoda Group will deliver the first train in 2029, with entry into service planned for late 2029 or early 2030.
Engineers working in Škoda Group's subsidiary in Finland will play a significant role in the development of the trains.
“We are developing a completely new type of rail vehicle that will offer greater comfort, speed, and flexibility, which are the main attributes of modern urban mobility,” says Jan Harder, Škoda Group’s president, region west and north. “This is another in a series of strategic projects through which we aim to strengthen our position in the Nordic region and enter a new market for our rolling stock vehicles.”
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