GySEV ordered four Flirt sets from Stadler in April 2012 for use on its recently electrified Sopron-Szombathely-Szentgotthárd line in western Hungary. The company originally tendered for dual-voltage emus but opted to order 25kV 50Hz ac trains instead due to financial constraints.
The first train was assembled and tested at Stadler's Siedlice facility in Poland using bodyshells fabricated at the company's plant in Szolnok, Hungary.
GySEV hopes the first train will enter service in time for the December timetable change. The other three trains from the first batch will be delivered by mid-2014.
The trains are identical to the 60 sets already in service with Hungarian State Railways' (MÁV) passenger subsidiary MÁV Start, which means type approval will not be required.
The 160km/h air-conditioned sets will seat 200 passengers and include spaces for wheelchairs and bicycles.
A second batch of six trains was ordered from Stadler in March this year in a joint contract with MÁV Start, which will receive 42 trains between September 2014 and September 2015. The trains from this batch will cost roughly 10% more due to the decision to add ETCS Level 2 equipment at the production stage.
