In service until the end of the year: the testing phase for the two new CFL trains is underway

The first two new Coradia trains from CFL are already on track and ready for service. Do not drive with passengers. This should change soon after an intensive testing phase. The first two of a total of 34 ordered trains should be in commercial service by the end of this year. “We are currently at the stage of driving these machines on the network without clients.“said Claude Marx of the CFL-Centre Operations Center. If there are still some minor issues that do not meet your requirements, these will be resolved by the supplier.

While the trains are still being tested on the track, the train crews have also had to be retrained.”Even though the train always looks like a train from the outside, inside it is very different. The screens and the whole calculation are different. The conductor just takes time to get used to it.”, stresses Pascal Nijenhuis, CFL trainer, who started as a CFL conductor in 2009.

The training of mechanics lasts one year. In order to drive the new train models, five days of additional training are necessary. This includes theory, numerical exercises on the computer and preparation and maintenance exercises on site. Eight mechanics are currently being trained. By 2030, all 300 conductors should have received this training.

The machines are designed so that they can travel at least 860,000 kilometers without major breakdowns. One big benefit of the French trains coming from the Barcelona production plant: more seats. The trains have a total of three carriages with 334 seats. Eventually 22 of these trains will be delivered. In the larger model, six carriages will accommodate 692 people. 12 of the machines will be delivered. In total, the train capacity will have increased by 46% by the end of 2025.

Mike Strotz from CFL also likes to talk about new additions. So there will be a great demand for bicycle parking spaces. So there are 12 bicycle spaces on the smaller trains. It is convenient to ride a bicycle and there is direct access to the train from the platform. He also talks about the high-performance air conditioning and the first Wi-Fi on CFL trains. Modern trains for the future. Older, not-so-modern trains get a second life in Romania.