The national operator Calea Ferată din Moldova (CFM) is in talks to procure battery rail buses.
Discussions took place between CFM General Director Sergiu Cotelnic and Vitalie Esanu, head of InformBusiness. The operator believes battery rail buses would suit short- and medium-distance routes, including Chisinau–Ungheni and Străseni–Chisinau–Revaca–Singera.
Chisinau-based InformBusiness specialises in electric components such as inverters and converters for trams and wheeled vehicles. The company is developing two prototype battery rail bus units.
The body is taken from the partially low-floor T3-KVP Odyssey tram, manufactured by Ukraine’s Polytekhnoservice based on the high-floor Tatra T3 from Czech CKD. For rail operations, the vehicles will receive a new bogie and two double doors per side.
Propulsion will be battery-only, with a claimed range of 400 km, top speed of 75 km/h and capacity for 100 passengers (34 seated). Low-floor access for reduced-mobility passengers is provided via the centre door.
