JKOY Class Sm5
| JKOY Class Sm5 | |
|---|---|
|
Sm5 unit at Airport railway station. | |
|
The interior of an Sm5 unit. | |
| In service | 2009– |
| Manufacturer | Stadler Rail |
| Family name | FLIRT |
| Constructed | 2008– |
| Number built | 51 (of 75 ordered) |
| Number in service | 51 |
| Formation | 4 cars, length 75,200 mm (246 ft 9 in) |
| Capacity | 232 + 28 |
| Operator(s) | VR Group |
| Specifications | |
| Width | 3,200 mm (10 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 4,400 mm (14 ft 5 in) |
| Floor height | 600 mm (24 in) |
| Platform height | 550 mm (22 in) |
| Maximum speed | 160 km/h (99 mph) |
| Weight | 132 t (130 long tons; 146 short tons) |
| Power output | 2,000 kW (2,700 hp) |
| Electric system(s) | 25 kV 50 Hz AC catenary |
| Current collection method | Pantograph |
| Track gauge | 1,524 mm (5 ft) |
The Sm5 electric multiple unit (EMU) is a low-floor train used on the Helsinki commuter rail network. Unlike other train types on the network, the Sm5 units are owned by Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy, a subsidiary of the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen and the VR Group. The units are leased to the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL), but due to VR Group's passenger transport monopoly on Finnish railways, VR operates the trains.[1]
History
Junakalusto Oy ordered 32 Stadler FLIRT EMUs from the Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail in 2006. The first two units were delivered in November 2008[2] and 2009. The units were put through extensive testing on the Finnish rail network before the first unit entered commercial service in November 2009.[3] As of July 2012, seventeen units have been delivered, all of them being in service. Nine more trainsets were ordered in October 2011 and 34 further units in 2014, raising the total to 75.[4]
The Sm5 units are designed for the Finnish winter conditions. They are fitted with 50–100% thicker thermal insulation compared to previous FLIRT models, and the incoming fresh ventilation air is preheated with the outgoing warm air to recover heat. The entrance areas are fitted with fan heaters in order to preserve the interior climate as passengers enter and leave during cold weather.[5][6]
The Sm5 unit is mostly low-floor with all entrances level with the station platforms. The interior space is open through the articulations so that passengers can walk through all the four cars from end to end. This allows passengers to easily occupy the cars evenly. The wide Finnish loading gauge allows the cars to be wider than most European railway cars. This allows a 2+3 seating configuration in the commuter trains without a too cramped seating.
The Sm5 series is planned to replace the oldest electric multiple unit series in the Helsinki commuter traffic, the Sm1. The Sm5 are also used for the airport shuttle service, the Ring Rail Line connecting the Helsinki-Vantaa airport to the rail network, operated since July 2015. Before the beginning of service of the Ring Rail Line, HSL has started to repaint the trains to a distinctive purple, to further set the Helsinki commuter trains apart from the long-haul ones.
The trains are transported from the Swiss factory by road and ferry, since they cannot run on European standard gauge railways.[7]
References
- ↑ "Electric low-floor multiple unit FLIRT: Sm5 trains for Junakalusto Oy, Finland" (PDF). Stadler Rail. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
- ↑ "Sm5-juna tuli Suomeen" (PDF). Rautatietekniikka. Rautatiealan Teknisten Liitto RTL ry (4): 26. 2008. ISSN 1237-1513.
- ↑ "Uusi kaupunkijuna liikenteeseen" (in Finnish). Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ↑ "34 new Flirt trains for commuter train services". Helsingin Seudun Liikenne. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ↑ "Hot FLIRT in the cold north" (Press release). Stadler. November 18, 2009.
- ↑ Stadler. "Electric low-floor multiple unit FLIRT - Sm5 trains for Junakalusto Oy, Finland" (PDF).
- ↑ "Ohne Drehgestelle nach Finnland". 26 February 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
External links
Media related to JKOY Class Sm5 at Wikimedia Commons