The six-car vehicles are intended for use on regional lines in western and central Slovakia. The ZSSK fleet already includes 21 single-decker articulated railcars (GTW) from Stadler, 15 of which are narrow-gauge GTW with electric drive and six are standard-gauge GTW with diesel-electric drive.
In autumn 2018, ZSSK also placed an order with Stadler for five GTW rack-and-pinion adhesion multiple units and a multifunctional rack-and-pinion adhesion locomotive for use on the rack-and-pinion and adhesion network of the meter-gauge electric TEŽ mountain railways in the High Tatras, the “smallest high mountain range in the world”.
“We are very pleased that we have succeeded in winning this tender and that we will be able to supply our reliable, safe and comfortable double-decker multiple-unit KISS train to Slovakia for the first time. The rail operator and passengers will benefit from the modern vehicles to the same extent. We are particularly proud that we can continue our common history with ZSSK thanks to this order. We would like to thank ŽSSK for their trust and look forward to continuing our successful partnership,” said Dr Ansgar Brockmeyer, executive vice president marketing and sales and deputy CEO of Stadler.
The six-car KISS vehicles are 155m long and have more than 600 seats in 1st and 2nd class. Like all KISS trains from Stadler, they are characterized by high drive power and sprint-capable acceleration. When operating on electric drive powered via the overhead contact line, the KISS vehicles can reach a maximum speed of up to 160 km/h.