UK: The passenger operator of Transport for Wales, TfW, launched the first trains on a partially electrified line, which connects Cardiff with Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil.
The fleet of 17 four-car and seven three-car trainsets, ordered in 2019, is expected to be delivered to this and other TfW routes within 2024 –2026. The passenger capacity of the four-car unit is 204 people, with 158 of them seated. The three-car vehicle can accommodate 148 passengers and has 118 seats.
About FLIRT TRIMODAL from Stadler for TfW. Source: TfW
First appeared at InnoTrans 2022, the FLIRT TRIMODAL can be powered by an AC catenary, batteries, and a Stage V engine, while mostly the train is moved by electric propulsion. The traction system, which includes batteries and an engine, is fitted in a separate section between railcars. The train’s maximum speed is 120 km/h and its acceleration rate is 1.1 m/s2.