Switzerland’s SBB has put its Twindexx train fleet into service on the Bern-Zurich and Zurich-Chur routes.
It is a historic moment for SBB and manufacturer Bombardier following several setbacks in the design and certification of the new double-deck EMU fleet.
The operator said the trains, named FV-Dosto by SBB, would be gradually integrated into its timetable.
In 2010, SBB ordered 59 long-distance Twindexx EMUs from Bombardier.
Changes to the design led to delays and in 2014 Bombardier and SBB agreed to a new delivery schedule. The deal included Bombardier supplying three additional units for free, taking the total number of trains ordered to 62.
SBB was granted a temporary operating license at the end of 2017 but, in January, the rollout of the new fleet was delayed again after a complaint was filed by a disabled access group over concerns they still had about the interior design.
Although the complaint was later rejected by Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court, SBB said it wanted to maintain a dialogue with the group to find a solution to the issues raised.
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