TfW FLIRT update

[Envoy]

Progress on the FLIRTS:>

Testing begins on new Transport for Wales trains

New trains being built as part of the transformation of the Wales and Borders network have reached another key milestone as testing gets underway in Europe.

news.tfw.wales

New trains being built as part of the transformation of the Wales and Borders network have reached another key milestone as testing gets underway in Europe.

The Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains (FLIRTs) are being built by leading train manufacturer Stadler and are now being tested in Switzerland, where the company’s headquarters are located.
They will then be transferred to South Wales for further tests on the Wales and Borders network, where they will begin to enter service from the end of next year.

 

[PHILIPE]

Already posted

www.railforums.co.uk/threads/transport-for-wales-756-flirts.220379/

 

[Dai Corner]

Progress on the FLIRTS:>

Testing begins on new Transport for Wales trains

New trains being built as part of the transformation of the Wales and Borders network have reached another key milestone as testing gets underway in Europe.

news.tfw.wales

I'd never realised FLIRT was an acronym for "Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains".

 

[Re 4/4]

I'd never realised FLIRT was an acronym for "Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains".

It originally stood for the German 'Flinker Leichter Innovativer Regional Triebzug', where the T is 'multiple unit train', not just any kind of train. I for innovative also makess more sense as I'm not sure I'd like to spend a long intercity journey on one!
Quite impressive to find an acronym that works almost equally well in English!

(In reply to posts about pipe dreams above, Bristol has its own 'metro' pipe dream ... I think that's supposed to eventually go to the airport too .)

 

[Bletchleyite]

It originally stood for the German 'Flinker Leichter Innovativer Regional Triebzug', where the T is 'multiple unit train', not just any kind of train. I for innovative also makess more sense as I'm not sure I'd like to spend a long intercity journey on one!

I've done 5 hours on a PKP (Poland) IC FLIRT. It was one of the most pleasant journeys I've done. Of course that wouldn't be as nice if it was a more cramped regional version, but the Greater Anglia ones are easily up to spec there. They are a modular platform and you can make something suitable to almost every passenger rail purpose you might need.