Rolling stock manufacturing company Stadler has signed a contract with Montenegro passenger transport operator Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore (ŽPCG) to supply three four-car FLIRT electric multiple units.

Stadler believes that the new trains will contribute significantly to modernising passenger rail transport in Montenegro, a Balkan state with a population of less than a million people that stands on the Adriatic Sea.

The company boasts that the units that it will supply offer enhanced standards of comfort and safety, and expects that this will make public transport a more attractive option for those wishing to travel.

The exterior design of the trains is inspired by Montenegro’s national identity and its national colours of red and gold.

Stadler’s FLIRT (Fast Light Inter-city Rapid Transit) platform is already running in several countries in Europe, including Serbia, Slovenia and Austria, and has secured orders to provide trains to Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland. Stadler originally developed FLIRT for the Swiss Federal Railways, and delivered the first units in 2004. 

The FLIRT trains that Stadler will supply for operation in Montenegro will be very similar to the FLIRT units that are already running in its neighbouring country of Serbia. The similarity in their designs will mean that the electric multiple units will be able to travel across the border between the two countries. This will be the first time that this has been possible.

Montenegro is receiving funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to buy the new, modern units. The Bank provides investment to strengthen economies in the continent and to make them more sustainable.

“These new trains will not only modernise public transport, but also serve as a visible symbol of
progress, European integration and regional connectivity. We would like to thank ŽPCG, the
Government of Montenegro, the EBRD and all project partners for their excellent cooperation and
for the trust they have placed in us.”

Željko Davidović, Director of Sales Central and Eastern Europe at Stadler