The Stadler WINK (''Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug'' nglish translation: convertible, innovative short train for local transport is a hybrid

multiple unit A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contr ...

railcar designed and built 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 ...

of Switzerland that entered service in 2021.

Service history

The WINK was unveiled in November 2017 when European operator

Arriva Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

beginning in 2020. Upon delivery, repair and maintenance of the trainsets will be performed by Stadler in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

through 2035. The first trainsets were put into service on 12 April 2021.

Design

The WINK is a derivative design of Stadler's

FLIRT Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language. It is either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person or, if done playfully, for amusement. It ...

railcars that is intended for service on lightly travelled lines. It has an aluminium carbody that can be customized in length by the customer, and can be powered by either diesel or electric powertrains with supplemental on board batteries. Arriva units will be delivered with Deutz diesel engines, running on

vegetable oil fuel Vegetable oil can be used as an alternative fuel in diesel engines and in heating oil burners. When vegetable oil is used directly as a fuel, in either modified or unmodified equipment, it is referred to as straight vegetable oil (SVO) or pure pl ...

, and batteries charged by

regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...

; the engines are planned to be replaced by additional batteries once electrification is installed over part of their route. Each trainset can carry about 275 passengers, with seating for 150, and has a top speed of up to depending on customer specification.

References

{{Train types in the Netherlands Stadler Rail multiple units Multiple units of the Netherlands Hybrid vehicles