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_140.JPG) Stadler Rail's headquarters in Bussnang, Switzerland | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| SIX: SRAIL | |
| Industry | Train manufacturing |
| Founded | 1942 |
| Founder | Ernst Stadler[1] |
| Headquarters | , Switzerland |
Key people |
|
| Revenue | SFr 3.6 billion[2] (2023) |
| Owner |
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Number of employees | 13,944 (2023) |
| Website | stadlerrail |
Stadler Rail AG is a Swiss manufacturer of railwayrolling stock based inBussnang, Switzerland. Established with a focus on regionalmultiple unit trains andtrams, the company has since diversified into the production ofrapid transit,high-speed rail,intercity, andsleeper train vehicles. Stadler is also among the few remaining manufacturers ofrack railway rolling stock. As of 2023, the company employed approximately 13,900 people worldwide.[2]
Stadler Rail operates through 50 subsidiaries across 23 countries, includingAlgeria,Germany,Italy, theNetherlands,Austria,Poland,Spain,Czech Republic,Hungary,Belarus, and theUnited States. The company has also established joint ventures withINKA inIndonesia andMedha Servo Drives inIndia.[2]
Stadler Rail traces its origins back to an engineering office established by Ernst Stadler (1908–1981) in 1942.[3] Three years later, the company began to manufacture its first locomotives, building bothbattery-electric anddiesel types. Throughout the majority of Stadler Rail's existence, it operated as a relatively small family-owned business entirely based in Switzerland that traditionally focused on manufacturing highly customised rail vehicles for its clients.[3] The customer base were typically within relatively niche markets, such asnarrow gauge andmountain railway operators, rather than those operating conventional mainline railways. After Ernst Stadler died in 1981, his second wife, Irma (c. 1923–2020), took over as CEO.[4] Stadler Rail remained a relatively small rolling stock manufacturer even through to the 1990s; by the mid-1990s, Stadler reportedly had only 100 employees.[3]
Around 1984, Stadler Rail decided to embark on the manufacture of passenger rolling stock for the first time.[3] In 1987,Peter Spuhler, anin-law relative of the Stadler family through his marriage to one of Ernst Stadler's granddaughters, joined the company and subsequently took over as CEO from Irma Stadler in 1989. Spuhler then decided to expand the business via the launch of new products, as well as the acquisition of two other Swiss factories that built specialist rail vehicles for rack-and-pinion and narrow gauge railways. Stadler Rail experienced a considerable uptick in business during the latter years of 1990s.[3] Its customer base continued to expand year after year over the following two decades to become one of the fastest growing and most innovative train manufacturing companies operating in Europe. Stadler Rail has become a serious competitor in several categories to traditional major rolling stock companies, such asAlstom andSiemens, and has successfully secured several major orders from the incumbent train operating companies of several nations.[3]
In 1999, Stadler Rail took a 67% shareholding in a joint venture withAdtranz to manufacture theRegio-Shuttle RS1.[3][5] However, following Adtranz's acquisition byBombardier in 2001,European Union regulators insisted on the divestiture of the regional and tram product lines. As a consequence, Stadler Rail took 100% ownership of the Pankow factory inBerlin, becoming its first manufacturing base in Germany, that same year. Production of the RS1 has continued, becoming the market leading tram in the nation.[3]
Perhaps the company's most successful product has been theFLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) family, the range includes highly diverse configurations to suit different needs, from smaller regional units to luxurious intercity trainsets, as well asbroad gauge versions forFinland and formerSoviet Union nations.[3] During 2004, Stadler Rail delivered the first trainset to theSwiss Federal Railways. By 2019, in excess of 1,400 FLIRTs have been ordered by operators in 16 countries spread across Europe, the United States,Algeria andAzerbaijan.[3]
To facilitate an expanded order book and wider customer base, the company has rapidly expanded its production capabilities. To serve theCentral and Eastern European market alone, during 2005, a new assembly plant was built inHungary, while another was completed inPoland in the following year; six years later, a third manufacturing site was established inBelarus.[3] By late 2019, the firm reportedly employed in excess of 7,000 employees at various locations spread across 20 countries. Each year, hundreds of rail vehicles, includingtrams, locomotives and coaches, are completed by the firm.[3] In addition to its manufacturing efforts, considerable business is derived from contracted maintenance and refurbishment programmes, which Stadler Rail provides to operators throughout Europe, the United States, theMiddle East and theNorth African regions.[3]
The company has also grown via numerous acquisitions, including the Swiss company Winpro AG based in Winterthur in 2005, Voith Rail Services of the Netherlands in 2013, andVossloh Rail Vehicles España S.A. of Valencia during 2015. They have been integrated into the wider Stadler Rail organisation, broadening the range of products and services on offer.[3]
For many years,Peter Spuhler has served as the company's chief executive officer (CEO), as well as holding a major stake in the business.[3] According to Peter Jenelten, Stadler Rail's Executive Vice-President for Marketing and Sales, has credited the business' relatively lean structure as having enabled very rapid decision-making and reducing product's time to market, which in turn has been an important selling point for its customers. Railway industry periodicalRail Magazine has claimed that Stadler Rail has been a major beneficiary of customer dissatisfaction with the dominant market competitors, particularly in terms of delivery and certification issues.[3]
In 2014, Stadler Rail announced the formation of ajoint venture withAzerbaijan-based company International Railway Distribution LLC to manufacture rolling stock in the nation. One month prior, Stadler had received a SFr120 million contract to produce 30 sleeper and dining cars.[6] Rolling stock originally intended for Russia has also been resold to Azerbaijan and neighbouringGeorgia.[3]
Stadler Rail had traditionally avoided major involvement with the British railway customer base, which it has claimed was due to the unfavourable complexity of the regulatory environment.[3] However, in 2017, management decided to embark on a decisive push into Britain, both to acquire market share amongst its rail operators and to establish new manufacturing and servicing facilities. It quickly secured a £610 million order fromAbellio Greater Anglia for its FLIRT family, leading to 378 vehicles conforming to the UK's restrictiveloading gauge that were built inBussnang.[3] Further orders in the UK market have includedGlasgow Subway's order for 17 underground trains, operating via an automated driverless system, it is a first for Stadler. Another major order came fromMerseytravel for bespoke electric trains for Liverpool'sMerseyrail commuter rail system.[3] It has also supplied trains and tram-trains toTransport for Wales Rail.
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In April 2019, Stadler Rail was listed on theSIX Swiss Exchange, reducing Spuhler's stake in the company to 40%.[7] Prior to the listing, Spuhler had owned 80% of the business's share capital, whileRAG-Stiftung [de] held a further 10%, and the remaining 10% was divided amongst several senior employees at the firm.[8]
In recent years, the light rail and metro sectors have become increasingly important customers.[3] Various operators in Germany, Norway, and Britain have adopted the company's Variobahn trams, while Stadler Rail received its first contract for underground trains during 2015. In December 2015, the firm’s had a huge order via a joint venture withSiemens Mobility for up to 1,380 vehicles forBerlin'sS-Bahn, the last of which are to be delivered by 2023. During 2019, Stadler Rail was reportedly making efforts to capitalise on smaller operators, driven by trends towards regionalisation andopen-access operation, to secure business for its railcars, light rail vehicles and multiple units.[3]
Stadler has a large manufacturing facility inFanipaĺ, Belarus. Following the disputed2020 Belarusian presidential elections and the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the company came under pressure to reduce its exposure in those countries. By June 2022, electronic parts used to assemble rail equipment are no longer deliverable to Fanipaĺ due to international sanctions against Belarus following the forced diversion ofRyanair Flight 4978. In response, Stadler moved equipment and personnel to Poland, Switzerland and the US to make up for that loss. The board of directors decided to keep the site and stressed that the company has to follow supranational decisions by international organisations such as the OECD, UN and EU but their commitment is towards the people working at the site, stating that Stadler "serves the public not dictators".[9][10] The subsidiaries OOO Stadler (Moskau) and Stadler Reinickendorf (Berlin) were liquidated in 2022.[11]
Stadler has a range of standard modular vehicles:
| Name | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| FLIRT | Flexibleelectric,diesel,bi-mode orhydrogen multiple unit for regional services | .jpg){kind=icon} |
| KISS | Double-deckEMU for regional services |  |
| Regio Shuttle | Diesel,hydrogen orbattery railcar for local branch line services |  |
| SMILE | EMU for high-speed rail services |  |
| Name | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Citylink | .jpg) | |
| TINA |  | |
| Tramlink |  | |
| Variobahn |  | |
| Tango | .JPG) |
| Name | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| EURO |  | |
| EUROLIGHT | A lighter variant of theEURO for passenger and light freight roles |  |
| EURODUAL |  | |
| SALi [de] |  |
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Stadler has also built a number of custom vehicles for specific customers, in some cases including elements of their standard designs. These include:
