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In celebration of Stadler’s 75th anniversary, the company organized an open day on 20 May 2017 in the Swiss towns of Bussnang, Altenrhein, and Winterthur. The event included a competition to find a name for its new high-speed train.
More than 4,000 entries were received, and SMILE, the winning entry by Peter Bruggmann from Sulgen, Switzerland, was the lucky winner.
Just like the Stadler trains FLIRT (flinker leichter intercity- und regional-triebzug, which translates to “fast, light, innovative intercity, and regional train”) and KISS (komfortabler innovativer spurtstarker s-bahn-zug, translating to “comfortable, innovative, sprintcapable, suburban train”), SMILE is an acronym with a technical meaning—schneller mehrsystemfähiger innovativer leichter expresszug, which translates to “a speedy, multisystem, innovative, lightweight, express train.”
The FLIRT is the first high-speed train that Stadler ever designed. It is also the first high-speed train in the world that is completely low floor. Other high-speed trains have high floors or a combination of low floors and high floors. This means that they require high platforms (and there is no standardization even in the United States as well as overseas for the floor height above the top of rail) or they have a combination of high floors and low floors that prevents people using wheelchairs from accessing the entire train.
The SMILE is Stadler’s very first high-speed train and can reach speeds of up to 155 mi/h. The SBB is scheduled to begin using the trains in December 2019 to travel through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The trains will first connect Basel, Switzerland, and Zurich with Milan and later other destinations in Italy as well as Germany.
The SMILE has been specially designed for comfort and meeting the needs of customers, especially families, senior citizens, and people with reduced mobility. A low floor provides extremely easy boarding, particularly for those with reduced mobility, and is a first for standard, high-speed, multiple unit trains.
All trains feature bright and spacious interiors with modern lighting systems. Additional amenities include (upon request) third- or fourth-generation mobile phone connectivity, power outlets on every passenger seat, large luggage racks, multifunctional compartments, a bicycle storage area, and gender-segregated and handicapped-accessible toilets.
SMILE trains are 662 ft. long and can seat more than 400 passengers. They can also be operated with two train sets coupled, doubling its capacity.
Full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 12, Number 4, December 2017 |
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