Lokaltog ordered FLIRT AKKUs

Lokaltog A/S is decarbonising its fleet in the Zealand region. The company has opted for the FLIRT battery-powered trains from Stadler. The new BEMUs will be delivered in 2028.

The contract signed on 8 October 2024 in Taastrup covers the purchase of 14 two-car FLIRT AKKU trains with an option for 10 more. They are to be operated in Region Zealand on the Tølløsebanen and Østbanen lines, with the potential to extend services to Lollandsbanen and Odsherredsbanen. The award to Stadler is following a public tender announced in November 2023.

Lars Wrist-Elkjær, Managing Director of Lokaltog, says: „We at Lokaltog are delighted to have found a supplier for our future battery trains. They are to replace our IC2 vehicles, which have served us well since 1997. These are the trains of the future that we are buying now, and they will hopefully be on our tracks and bringing comfort to our customers for many years.“

It should be added that Lokaltog launched the first tender as early as 2022, in which CAF, Siemens Mobility and Stadler participated. CAF was the winner, but after a complaint from Siemens Mobility, a new tender was launched and now Stadler became the selected supplier.

We asked Lokaltog: these new BEMUs will be fitted with a pantograph for 25 kV 50 Hz, where are any connections to such catenary on the lines served by Lokaltog? Or will be on these lines fitted the catenary islands to recharge the batteries? And following delivery of FLIRT AKKUs, the IC2 DMUs will be withdrawn, or sold to other operator?

The company answered us: "All our lines on Zealand are connected to Banedanmark's overhead lines at one end of each route. Where there are no power lines, Lokaltog will install overhead power lines to charge the trains from a 25 kV facility and through charging plugs at the depot. Once we have a more detailed delivery plan from Stadler and have assessed the interest from potential buyers, we will plan how to phase out the IC2 trains and possibly sell them."