SBB-CFF-FFS RABe 501
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The RABe 501, nicknamed ''Giruno'', is a high-speed
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 ...
train 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 for the
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
(SBB). According to Stadler Rail, it is the world's first single-decker low-floor high-speed train. The trains are intended to replace the ETR610 trains on the trans-
Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...
route between Milan (Italy) and Basel / Zürich, with eventually further connections with Germany and Austria. The main route goes through the 57 kilometre-long Gotthard Base Tunnel. As a consequence, the Giruno is also referred to as the "Gotthard train". The 11-car units operate with a top speed of and can accommodate up to 403 passengers (117 in first class, 286 in second class). Two train sets can be coupled together to accommodate over 800 passengers.


Names

Stadler originally named the train the EC250. This was changed in 2017 to SMILE,"Stadler renames EC250 high-speed train as SMILE."
''railwaypro.com'', 18 August 2017.
short for ''Schneller Mehrsystemfähiger Innovativer Leichter Expresszug'' (English: “speedy multi-system innovative lightweight express train”). The SBB have named the train ''Giruno'' ( Romansh: " Buzzard").


Development

In April 2012,
Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
(SBB) issued a tender for 29 new single-deck trains, capable of reaching 250 km/h, for service on routes between Germany, Switzerland and Italy via the then under-construction Gotthard Base Tunnel, the only completely flat route through the great Alpine barrier. Bids were placed 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 ...
(Switzerland),
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
(Germany),
Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
( France) and Talgo ( Spain). All four bids were rejected by SBB and a second round took place, at which point Siemens withdrew. On 9 May 2014 SBB announced an order worth for 29 Stadler EC250s. The final signing was delayed, however, as Alstom and Talgo both launched legal challenges: Alstom withdrew theirs in September 2014, while Talgo's complaintthat SBB gave the domestic producer an advantagewas dismissed by the Federal Administrative Court in October 2014. The final contract was signed between SBB and Stadler on 30 October 2014. The EC250's first public appearanceas a short 5-car setwas at InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin, Germany, by Stadler CEO, Peter Spuhler, and SBB CEO, Andreas Meyer. The first full 11-car set was presented at a ceremony in Bussnang on 18 May 2017, which was also attended by the then
Swiss President The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council (Switzerland), Federal Council, the country's ...
Doris Leuthard Doris Leuthard (born 10 April 1963) is a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2006 to 2018. A member of the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC), she was elected as President of the Swiss ...
. Shortly afterwards in August, the EC250 was renamed as SMILE following a public competition. As SBB intend to operate these trains across several countries, testing had to be carried out in Germany, Italy and Austria, in addition to Switzerland. In early April 2018, a test train unit ran through the Gotthard Tunnel at 275 km/h in order to meet approval conditions to operate up to 250 km/h on the line. The
Federal Office of Transport The Federal Office of Transport (FOT, german: Bundesamt für Verkehr (BAV); french: Office fédéral des transports (OFT); it, Ufficio federale dei trasporti (UFT); rm, Uffizi federal da traffic (UFT)) is a division of the Swiss Federal Depart ...
approved this service for Switzerland on 4 April 2019 and the European Union Railway Agency approved it for Italy in March 2020in both cases, for speeds up to 200 km/h. The first passenger revenue service operated between Zürich and Erstfeld on 8 May 2019, using Giruno unit 501 006. Future
Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...
(PNR) ''Bicol Express'' EMUs will be based on Stadler EC250 and no longer using passenger carriages pulled by conventional locomotives.


Design

The EC250 is designed to comply with the TSI-High-speed regulations and meets the
EN 15227 EN 15227 is a European standard about the crashworthiness requirements for railway vehicle bodies. It was first resolved in 2008 and it is binding since 2012 for all new vehicles in the European Union. The required energy absorption modules had m ...
crashworthiness standards. The cars are connected to Jacobs bogies and the propulsion system consists of four motorised bogies, powered from four roof-mounted electric current collectors. The electrification system is compatible with the Swiss and German 15 kV 16.7 Hz alternating current (AC) overhead power supplies, as well as with Italian 3 kV direct current (DC) and 25 kV 50 Hz electrification systems. The motorized bogies are reportedly capable of generating a maximum power output of 6000 kW."Stadler EC250 High-Speed Electric Multiple Unit (EMU)."
''railway-technology.com'', Retrieved: 22 May 2018.
Each 11-car train set is long and has an empty weight of 380 tonnes. Each carriage has a width of 2.9 m and a height of 4.25 m. The wheelbase of the unpowered bogies is 2.7 m, while those of the motorised bogies are 2.75 m. The carriages do not have a uniform floor height as the seats at either end of each car are positioned above the bogies while the central aisle rises towards the carriage connection through ramps. The low-floor entrances allow step-free access from platforms at heights between 550 mm and 760 mm and several accessible toilets and areas for wheelchairs are available, allowing the train to comply with the Law on Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities. As a long-distance train, it also features signal boosters for 3G/4G cellular phone networks, power sockets (for Swiss and international plugs) and large luggage racks for passenger comfort, along with energy-efficient lighting. The interior is flexible, meaning it can be extensively refitted and modified to an operator's requirements.


Service

As of December 2020, Giruno units operate services from Basel and Zürich to Chiasso and Lugano. Services between Zurich and Milan have also operated since 12 August 2020, and have later expanded to
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
, Genoa and Bologna. The Giruno replaced existing RABDe 500 (ICN) and tilting ETR 610 units on the
Gotthard railway The Gotthard railway (german: Gotthardbahn; it, Ferrovia del Gottardo) is the Swiss trans-alpine railway line from northern Switzerland to the canton of Ticino. The line forms a major part of an important international railway link between no ...
, which were reassigned to more winding Alpine routes such as the
Jura Foot Railway The Jura Foot Line (french: ligne du Pied-du-Jura, german: Jurafusslinie) or Jura South Foot Line, is a railway line in Switzerland. It runs from Olten along the foot of the southern Jura range through Solothurn, Grenchen, Biel/Bienne, Neuchâ ...
.


References

{{High-speed rail High-speed trains Stadler Rail multiple units Multiple units of Switzerland 3000 V DC multiple units 25 kV AC multiple units 15 kV AC multiple units Passenger trains running at least at 250 km/h in commercial operations