Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler Rheintal has entered an agreement with Austria-based Liebherr-Transportation Systems to purchase 166 propane (R290) HVAC units for its new series of Nordic Express long-distance trains.
The Nordic Express, also known as FLIRT trains (Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train), has been in operation since 2004 around the world. According to Liebherr, the new NT FLIRT NEX series will shift the meaning of FLIRT to “Fast Light Innovative and Regional Train” due in part to the incorporation of R290 HVAC technology.
“We thank our customer Stadler for the trust placed in us,” said Roland Friedrich, Deputy General Manager/Business Management Liebherr-Transportation Systems.
Production/commission details: The HVAC manufacturer said it will produce the units at its Bulgarian factory, located in the village of Tsaratsovo.
- Delivery to Stradler will start in early 2025, and it will take “several years” to complete the order, according to Liebherr.
- The base order for 166 units will supply 17 Nordic Express train sets consisting of a total of 132 passenger cabins and 34 locomotive cabs.
Servicing safety: Liebherr said that the R290 unit can be serviced as usual, with technicians accounting for safety measures for the flammable refrigerant.
- “Our HVAC systems and service concepts take all necessary safety requirements,” said Friedrich.
- Peter Danzer, Project Leader for German rail operator Deutsche Bahn, said in a presentation at the ATMOsphere (ATMO) MAC Summit 2024 × TU Berlin that the German railway has had propane HVAC units in service since 2022 and that it will have more than 2,000 such systems in operation by 2027. ATMOsphere is the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.
- “The attitude toward R290, deemed impossible [to use in rail HVAC] in the past due to flammability, has fundamentally changed,” said Danzer. “We’ve had no registered issues with the refrigerant in our trains.”
Railway HVAC in Europe: The European rail industry is in the early stages of adopting natural refrigerant-based HVAC systems, with propane jumping out to a lead over CO2 (R744) in the sector.
- At InnoTrans 2024 ‒ a trade show for freight and passenger rail and public buses held September 24–27 in Berlin ‒ several manufacturers exhibited R290-based HVAC units for passenger trains. The Škoda Group, a Czech Republic-based manufacturer, brought a new tram with a CO2-based HVAC system to the show.
- Earlier this month, Italian Mitsubishi Electric Klimate Transportation Systems – a subsidiary of Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric – received an order for 1,350 R290 HVAC units from Siemens Mobility, which is building new city trains for Munich.
Quotable: “Propane is an efficient and eco-friendly refrigerant,” said Friedrich. “We therefore offer a reliable, in-service solution for more sustainable mobility.”
