![Supertram 399202 Donetsk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Supertram_399202_Donetsk.jpg)
The Stadler Citylink (known as the Vossloh Citylink until 2015) is a series of
tram-train
A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This all ...
s manufactured by
Stadler Rail
Stadler Rail is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams. It is also focused on niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock ...
at its
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
factory since 2011. The design was introduced by
Vossloh España
Stadler Rail Valencia SAU is a Spanish company, mainly producing products for the railway industry, subsidiary of Stadler Rail.
History MACOSA
The Company was founded in 1947 with the name Material y Construcciones S.A. (or MACOSA) by the merg ...
before their takeover by Stadler Rail in 2015. They are currently used in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, with more on order in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
The
Class 399 variant was placed into service on the
Sheffield Supertram
The Sheffield Supertram is a tram and tram-train network covering Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. The infrastructure is owned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), with Stagecoach responsible for th ...
network from September 2017 as the United Kingdom's first tram-train; following the success of this trial, the
Class 398 variant has been ordered and is due to enter service on the
South Wales Metro
The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network in South East Wales around the hub of . The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are current ...
from 2022. The largest order to date for Citylinks was placed as part of the ''VDV Tram-Train Project'' in January 2022, with a consortium of six Austrian and German operators ordering 246 vehicles with an option to order a further 258 afterwards. The deal is worth €4 billion (£3.3 billion), and is the largest contract in Stadler's history.
Design
The Stadler Citylink is available over a range of lengths, from two to four carriages long; the most commonly-produced model is long and wide with three carriages, and the longest variants can be built up to long for additional capacity.
They can also be produced to a variety of different
track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
s, with models produced for
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
networks in
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
and
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
networks in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.
Specifications vary depending on the operator; for example, the Citylinks operating in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
are equipped internally similarly to the city's existing trams, due to the relatively short length of the tram-train extension to
Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
, while Citylinks that operate over longer distances can be equipped with facilities such as toilets and luggage racks.
Depending on the internal layout, Citylinks can have a capacity of up to 250 passengers.
The Citylink was designed as an
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
tram-train, with power drawn from
overhead line equipment
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipmen ...
(OHLE) at 750V or 1500V
DC. Some Citylinks are fitted with
transformer
A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
s to provide
dual-voltage capability, such as those used in Sheffield, which run at 750V DC on the city's tram network, but with the ability to also use 25kV
AC in the future, as is standard for British railways.
In
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
, Citylinks are fitted with a
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
as well as 750V DC overhead power to provide
hybrid-electric capability; while vehicles sold in Mallorca and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
are fitted with a diesel engine only due to a lack of railway electrification.
Citylinks have a top speed of when operating on interurban routes under electric power.
Operations
Austria
Linz (future)
In January 2022, Schiene Oberösterreich (Schiene OÖ), operator of the
Linzer Straßenbahn-Netz network in
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
, announced that they had ordered Stadler Citylinks for their network as part of the VDV tram-train consortium.
Salzburg (future)
In January 2022, the
state government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
(through arm's-length company Salzburg AG), operator of the
Salzburg S-Bahn
The Salzburg S-Bahn is a large transport project in and around Salzburg in the Euroregion of Salzburg–Berchtesgadener Land–Traunstein, which crosses the border between Austria and Germany. Its S-Bahn network has been partially in operation sin ...
, announced that they had ordered Stadler Citylinks for their network as part of the VDV tram-train consortium.
Germany
Chemnitz
![Citylink Chemnitzer Modell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Citylink_Chemnitzer_Modell.jpg)
Eight NET 2012 tram-trains similar to the Karlsruhe models, with options for two more, were ordered by
Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen
The Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen (VMS) (English "Central Saxony Transport Group") is a local transport authority in the Chemnitz area in Saxony, Germany.
Transport area
VMS delivers public transport across the Chemnitz area, including the ci ...
(VMS) for planned use on the
Chemnitz Bahn network from 2015. In July 2015, a further four were ordered. Testing of the first tram-trains to be delivered commenced in September 2015. The Chemnitz Citylinks are fitted with a diesel generator to enable them to operate away from electrified routes, and they can also operate from 600 V DC and 750 V DC electrified lines. The centre section is also slightly higher, due to the differing platform heights in
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
, allowing the doors in the centre section to be level with the higher platforms and the other doors to be level with the lower platforms.
The first Citylink entered service on the Chemnitz Bahn on 4 April 2016.
Karlsruhe
In October 2011,
Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe
The Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Transport Company, VBK) is the municipal transport company of the city of Karlsruhe in Germany. It runs the tram and bus network within the city, as well as the Turmbergbahn funicular railway.
The VBK is ...
(VBK) ordered 25 Citylink tram-trains for operation on the
Karlsruhe Stadtbahn
The Karlsruhe Stadtbahn is a German tram-train system combining tram lines in the city of Karlsruhe with railway lines in the surrounding countryside, serving the entire region of the middle upper Rhine valley and creating connections to neighbou ...
network. The €75 million order also included options for a further 50 Citylinks. These Citylinks were known as the NET 2012, which stands for ''Niederflur Elektrotriebwagen 2012'', German for "low-floor electric railcar".
The first Citylink was delivered to
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
in May 2014, around seven months behind schedule. Testing commenced on local railway lines on 19 June 2015. They are intended to replace high-floor trams on all lines except for Line 2, some of which are now up to 50 years old and are not wheelchair accessible. Following their successful introduction, a further 25 NET 2012 vehicles were ordered in April 2015, scheduled for delivery from April 2016 onwards. An order for another 25 Citylinks was placed in March 2016.
In January 2022, Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (VBK) ordered 73 new tram-trains, which will be delivered from 2026 with an option for a further 52 vehicles. It placed the Citylink order as part of a consortium of six German-Austrian operators of the VDV Tram-Train project. As part of the same deal,
Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG), the other primary operator on the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn network, ordered their own Citylinks for the first time, complementing those already in the fleet of VBK.
Reutlingen (future)
In January 2022, Zweckverband Regional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb (RSB), the operator of a tram-train network between the city of
Reutlingen
Reutlingen (; Swabian: ''Reitlenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has a population of 115,818.
Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which ...
and the town of
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
that is currently under development, announced that they had ordered Stadler Citylinks for their network as part of the VDV tram-train consortium.
Saarbrücken (future)
In January 2022, Saarländischer Verkehrsverbund (SaarVV), the operator of the
Saarbahn
The Saarbahn is a regional Stadtbahn operating on the tram-train principle in the German state of the Saarland. It consists of a core line in Saarbrücken and Riegelsberg operating under tram operating procedures ( BOStrab), connected to two lin ...
network in
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...
, announced that they had ordered Stadler Citylinks for their network as part of the VDV tram-train consortium.
Hungary
![MÁV-Start_406_001_Stadler_CityLink](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/M%C3%81V-Start_406_001_Stadler_CityLink.jpg)
Szeged
The Hungarian State Railways MÁV-Start ordered 12 trains for the Tram-train line between
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
and
Hódmezővásárhely
Hódmezővásárhely (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisza. ...
. The first Citylink (as Hungarian Class 406 001) was delivered in January of 2021, and the testing of the 3-car units began in early March on the freshly rebuilt line between the two cities. The Tram-train service was opened in the end of November of 2021.
Mexico
Puebla
Two Stadler Citylinks were delivered to the state government in
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
for local operations in 2015. These are fitted with a diesel engine only, due to a lack of railway electrification in the region, and a revised front end crash structure compared to European models. These were the first tram-trains to be delivered anywhere in
the Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...
.
Spain
Alicante
![TRAM Alicante MARQ-C](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/TRAM_Alicante_MARQ-C.jpg)
Nine Vossloh Citylink tram-trains were ordered by
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (, "Valencian Government Railways") or FGV is a Valencian public railway company which operates several lines, in the autonomous community of Valencia, Spain.
The company currently operates the city me ...
for use on the
Alicante Tram
The Alicante Tram, trademarked as Alicante Metropolitan TRAM ( ca-valencia, TRAM Metropolità d'Alacant}, es, TRAM Metropolitano de Alicante), operates in the Spanish city of Alicante (Valencian Community) and its surrounding area. Like other na ...
network's lines 1 and 3. They have a maximum capacity of 303 passengers and a top speed of 100 km/h, and are classified as the 4100 series on the Alicante Tram network. The contract for the construction of these units is around 43.3 million Euros and they are due in service in 2019.
Mallorca
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca () or SFM is a company which operates the metre gauge railway network on the Spanish island of Majorca. The total length, including Palma Metro, also operated by this company, is 85 km.
Overview
In 1977, t ...
ordered six Citylinks in 2011 for operation on the new
Manacor
Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such a ...
to Artá railway line, which was planned to reopen in 2012. However, construction of the line was suspended in 2013 and the Citylinks are now used on other lines across
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
. Due to the unelectrified railway lines on Mallorca, all of the Citylinks built for the island are only fitted with diesel engines; they are also built to the island's
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
.
United Kingdom
Sheffield
It was announced by the
Department for Transport
The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
in 2008 that
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
would be used as the location for the first ever tram-train in the United Kingdom as part of a nationwide pilot scheme. Initially services were planned to be operated along the
Penistone line
The Penistone Line is operated by Northern Trains in the West Yorkshire Metro and Travel South Yorkshire areas of northern England. It connects Huddersfield and Sheffield via Penistone and Barnsley, serving many rural communities. Metrocards ( ...
from Sheffield to
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
; this was later revised into a scheme operating along the
Dearne Valley line between Sheffield and
Rotherham Parkgate via .
In 2013,
Sheffield Supertram
The Sheffield Supertram is a tram and tram-train network covering Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. The infrastructure is owned by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), with Stagecoach responsible for th ...
placed an order for seven Citylink tram-trains for use on the new Sheffield-Rotherham tram-train, that opened in October 2018. The Supertram Citylink design is based on that of the newer NET 2012 trams ordered by
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
and
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Three tram-trains are required to work the service, with three being used to increase the number of services on the existing network and one in maintenance. The first tram-train was scheduled for delivery in September 2015, although this was later set back to December 2015.
Under Supertram's numbering system, the seven units were numbered as 201—207; however, because part of their operation is on the
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...
network, they are required to be registered under the
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom.
TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...
used for mainline rail vehicles, which led them to be allocated under TOPS as Class 399, numbered 399201-399207.
The Supertram Citylinks are dual voltage vehicles, capable of operating at the
750 V DC
This is a list of the power supply systems that are, or have been, used for tramway and railway electrification systems.
Note that the voltages are nominal and vary depending on load and distance from the substation.
Many modern trams and train ...
overhead electrification used on the Supertram network, and the overhead electrification being installed on the Dearne Valley line to Rotherham and used elsewhere on the National Rail system.
The first Supertram Citylink was delivered on 30 November 2015. The final vehicle was delivered on 20 November 2016. The first entered service on the existing network in September 2017.
South Wales (future)
In June 2018, it was announced that for the
South Wales Metro
The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network in South East Wales around the hub of . The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are current ...
,
Transport for Wales Rail
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
will purchase 36 3-car Stadler Citylink tram-trains. They will operate in train mode north of
Cardiff Central whilst switching to battery tram mode on the
Butetown branch line. These will serve the
Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and
Rhondda lines as well as the
Cardiff City Line
The Cardiff City Line is a commuter railway line in Cardiff that runs between and via .
History
The line was opened by the Taff Vale Railway in 1859, as part of its route from to the docks at Penarth. Subsequent construction by the TV ...
. These vehicles are the first to feature "smart-electrification" which allows Discontinuous electrification with permanently earthed sections around restricted structures. These Tram-Trains will switch to battery mode under bridges and tunnels negating the need for costly reconstruction of over 50 structures on the South Wales Metro.
References
{{reflist
External links
Hybrid Tram Train Citylink Chemnitz, Germany at Kiepe Electric
Citylink
CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Australia, linking the Tullamarine, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other works. In 1996, Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two exi ...
Citylink
CityLink is a network of tollways in Melbourne, Australia, linking the Tullamarine, West Gate and Monash Freeways and incorporating Bolte Bridge, Burnley Tunnel and other works. In 1996, Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two exi ...
Articulated passenger trains
Tram vehicles of Austria
Tram vehicles of Germany
Tram vehicles of Hungary
Tram vehicles of Spain
Tram vehicles of the United Kingdom
Sheffield Supertram