Think Railways

Stadler has started the delivery of the first of 25 double-deck EMUs for Russian operator Aeroexpress. The wagons of the first train were transported from Stadler's plant in Altenrhein by a special carrier to the port of Basel, where they were loaded on a ship to continue their way down the river Rhein to Amsterdam, heading for Sassnitz, and then Klaipeda, where they can be put on a 1520 gauge track and hauled to Minsk.

According to the production plan, the first four trains are to be produced in Altenrhein, Switzerland, while the remaining 21 units will be welded and assembled completely in Fanipol, Belarus by Stadler Minsk. The employees of Stadler Minsk have already finished the welding of four carbodies for the Russian airport express operator, which is being followed by the painting and final assembly of the units.

Dynamic commissioning will carried out in Minsk, before the trains being transported to the test ring in Scherbinka for homologation trials and several tests for winter operation.

According to the contract, commercial operation of the first train is to commence in June 2015, while the last is expected to enter service in June 2016.