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The Stadler GTW (, ) is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland.
In 1998 the Linzer Lokalbahn (Austria) placed an order which needed to be modified to conform to the DIN 5510 class 2 safety standard, as well as different electrification. These eight trains were delivered in 2000 from the Swiss facilities and an option of six more trains was fulfilled in 2005. Another modification was done for the River Line (New Jersey) with an order of twenty DMUs delivered in 2002 and 2003 from the Swiss facilities.
During that time the Hessische Landesbahn (HLB) in Germany was also looking at the new system but actual procurement was delayed until the second generation. In the beginning, Stadler was cooperating with ADtranz/DWA in Germany with the initial batch produced in 1999 at DWA Bautzen (Saxony). Its headshape design follows the style of the Deutsche Bahn trains as they were already on production at DWA, and eventually the DB Regio services also ordered a batch of 30 trains similar to the 30 trains ordered by the HLB, differing only in the height of the low-floor section. The full series were then manufactured at the new Stadler Pankow (Berlin) facilities being built in 2000 by a joint venture with ADtranz. Stadler acquired their shares in 2001 and the final vehicles were delivered from that plant in 2001 by Stadler alone.
The second generation can be easily distinguished by its round headshape made from FRP (fiberglass). These follow the DB design being produced since 2000 for other customers as well, for example a batch of 12 trains went to Athens (Greece) in meter gauge (ordered in 1999, delivered since 2003). With the second generation the available options for GTW trains expandedmeter-gauge vehicles can be ordered in a width and the standard-gauge vehicles in a width. Also the GTW 2/6 may be expanded with an additional bogie car making it a GTW 2/8.
The third generation has minor modifications to the head shape but the more important changes were made to the power modulethe electric variant now has instead of up to , and the diesel–electric variant is available as a DMU-2 with two generators instead of one. This allowed for increasing the maximum speed, which was a requirement of Italian customers; in Italy, this type is known as ATR 100. The Vinschgerbahn (Bolzano) was the first to order twelve DMU-2 sets in 2004, extended by eight vehicles of the same type for the Udine–Cividale line (Padova), also in 2004. The DMU-2 concept impressed the Arriva operator in the Netherlands which ordered 43 trains in 2005 asking for some further developmentsthe modified type sold well to other operators in the Netherlands and abroad, as both DMU and EMU variants.
The fourth generation came along with new regulations in the EU that increased the crashworthiness requirements (see EN 15227). Trains had to comply with these requirements by 2008 (see 2008/57/EC). This is the same year that much of the production was moved to the branch factory in Siedlce, Poland.
551 units have been sold until 2011 and are in use in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States.
Because of the crashworthiness requirements, the GTW gained weight over time. In the concept of 1998 it had per seat while in 2010 the base model 2/6 had increased to per seat. This was higher than a Stadler FLIRT ET 22 in 2007, at per seat. As a consequence, the manufacturer saw its biggest customers, Arriva and Connexxion, switch over to the FLIRT models for the following deliveries in 2012. Only some replacements for diesel–electric and cog-wheel trains followed after that point in time. For those application areas Stadler introduced the Stadler WINK concept (or Flirtino) in 2018. FLIRT and WINK are the next-generation models that can support updated crash worthiness requirements. Like Stadler's GTW family of multiple units, WINK has a central power module containing the energy generation, traction and auxiliary systems, while the frame and other parts are derived from the FLIRT models.
The basic concept is rather unconventional: the car is driven by a central "power module", also known as a "powerpack" or a "drive container", powered on both axles. Two light end modules, each with a bogie, rest on the power module, which produces useful traction weight on the driving axles. The end modules also use the space very effectively, although the railcar is divided into two halves by the power module. Most units have a path through the drive container for passenger access. The end modules can be delivered with Railway coupling or buffer gears, or with central buffer couplings. They are built with a low-floor design except above the bogies and at the supported ends (more than 65% of the railcar is low-floor). All of the usual comforts to be expected in a modern local network railcar are provided, such as air conditioning, a multi-purpose room, vacuum toilets (in a washroom suitable for the disabled) and a Intercom. The GTWs can be diesel–electric or electric-powered (via Overhead line or third rail).
Although the traction is good for the powered bogies the concept has the same problem as other light railcars with the brakes on the non-powered axles having lower grip than traditional railcars. This has led to actual restrictions when leaves are on the rails as the wheel slide protection can not fully compensate the effect. The central power module has limits with heat dissipation as well which can lead into situations where the power output needs to be limited which is automatically done in this construction concept.
By inserting a middle car (also with only one bogie) on one side of the propulsion module, the GTW 2/6 is expanded to GTW 2/8. Instead of the middle car, another drive module can also be inserted. Between the two modules are then either a trailer passenger car (GTW 4/8) or two medium cars and partitions (GTW 4/12). For operational flexibility up to four GTWs of the same pattern can be operated as a multiple unit.
In December 2024, trainsets 314 and 350 were moved from Groningen-Friesland and restickered to fufill services on the Zutphen-Hengelo-Oldenzaal line. Service on the line is served in combination with Alstom LINT 41 trainsets.
The electrified GTW are used on the lines DordrechtGorinchemGeldermalsen (since 2018 by transport company Qbuzz) and since December 2012 also on ZwolleEmmen. Since December 2022 electrified GTW's are also used on the weekly Arriva night train service between Groningen and Schiphol Airport.
Arriva Limburg uses electric GTW on the lines Kerkrade Centrum Heerlen Maastricht Randwyck, Heerlen–Maastricht, and the diesels are used on the lines: RoermondVenloNijmegen.
Connexxion was using one electric GTW for the line: Barneveld Centrum Amersfoort, This GTW is transferred to the Vechtdallijnen from Arriva, Connexxion is also using 9 diesel GTW's for the Breng concession starting December 2012.
The ZSSK Class 495.95 trains are used on both the Tatra Electric Railway and the Štrbské Pleso–Štrba rack railway.
The ZSSK Class 840 trains also derived from the GTW 2/6 are in use on the normal-gauge railways in the Poprad region. Class 840 trains are also used on the Bratislava—Komárno line from December 2020
THURBO uses a large fleet of RABe 526 (GTW 2/6 and 2/8) on various lines in eastern Switzerland. Regionalverkehr Mittelland bought several GTW 2/6, which were later extended to GTW 2/8 and finally sold to the Swiss Federal Railways in 2013.
Various narrow gauge railways use GTWs: Chemins de fer du Jura, Biel–Täuffelen–Ins-Bahn, and the Transports Montreux–Vevey–Riviera.
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