25 kV traction equipment for Leo Express's FLIRTs

On 23 January 2025, Leo Express and Stadler signed a contract for the installation of 25 kV 50 Hz traction equipment in five DC-only Class 480 EMUs. This will happen thanks to a subsidy from the Operational Programme Transport 2021 - 2027, which will cover approximately 40 % (around 181 million CZK, around 7.2 million EUR) of the total cost of 400 million CZK (around 16 million EUR).

The 25 kV equipment will be integrated into the TCMS (Train Control and Monitoring System) and in connection with its use, hardware and software modifications will also be made, elements for switching between the two voltages will be added and the vehicle diagnostic system will be updated. In addition, the weight of the train will be reassessed and tests will be carried out on the strength of the bodyshells, as well as running and braking tests. In the words of LE's press release, "a significant number of Czech suppliers, such as AŽD Praha or VUZ Velim, will be involved in the contract."

Whereas last November, when the operator announced that Stadler had won the tender to install the new equipment, it was reported that the project would be carried out at the Siedlce plant (where the Class 480s were built in 2012), it has now been announced that the work, including the project work, will be carried out at workshops in Frauenfeld, in the north-east of Switzerland, near Bussnang.

According to Stadler, this is for capacity reasons. And in response to our further enquiries, the company clarified that the traction equipment for the 3 kV DC will be retained as far as possible in its current form, but will be adapted for a dual-voltage train. No other additional components will be replaced or upgraded. Only two pantographs will still remain on the units, but one will now be dedicated to 25 kV and the other to 3 kV.

When asked when the modernisation would start and finish, Stadler replied that the contractors had agreed not to give any dates at the moment. However, in November 2024, Peter Köhler, CEO of Leo Express, commented that "from mid-2028 onwards, LE trains will run not only on DC but also on AC traction." So one would assume that after more than three years since contract signing, all five FLIRTs could already be in operation.

Let us add that the Frauenfeld facility is located on the site of the former Tuchschmid company specialising in the production of steel and glass structures, which went bankrupt in December 2019 (after 170 years of existence). Stadler has subsequently built a competence centre for vehicle overhauls, modernisation and repair here with an investment of several million CHF and opened it at the beginning of May 2022.

It has an area of over 6,000 m2 and 110 m of pit tracks, where it carries out activities ranging from bogies and axlebox repairs to complex repairs of vehicles after accidents and demanding conversion projects for domestic and foreign customers. The company employs 120 people, 80 of whom work in production. Together with the nearby workshops in Wil, which serves as a maintenance centre for the Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn metre-gauge railway, repairs are also carried out on components for pantographs, compressors, etc.

We asked Leo Express: does LE, and therefore Renfe, have any plans to purchase new multiple-voltage EMUs to supplement the existing fleet and to meet the future growth in passenger numbers that you have announced? However, the operator did not respond to our inquiries.