28-665: The Mont Blanc tramway or Tramway du Mont-Blanc ( TMB ) is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie department of France . It is the highest in France and the fourth highest in Europe . It is also the only railway in France reaching over 2,000 metres above sea level. The extensive views of Mont Blanc and adjacent mountains of the Mont Blanc massif provided by the tramway make it popular with tourists. Also, mountaineers and hikers use
56-566: A large manufacturing facility in Fanipaĺ , Belarus. Following the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential elections and the 2022 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 of Ryanair Flight 4978 . In response, Stadler moved equipment and personnel to Poland, Switzerland and
84-607: A major beneficiary of customer dissatisfaction with the dominant market competitors, particularly in terms of delivery and certification issues. In 2014, Stadler Rail announced the formation of a joint venture with Azerbaijan -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. Rolling stock originally intended for Russia has also been resold to Azerbaijan and neighbouring Georgia . Stadler Rail had traditionally avoided major involvement with
112-544: A maximum gradient of 24%. Some 85% of the line is equipped with rack rail, with adhesion being used at the foot of the line and at intermediate crossing stations . The line is electrified using an overhead line at 11 kV and 50 Hz AC . The line is operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc [ fr ] which also manages the Montenvers Railway and many ski lifts in the Mont Blanc region. The first section of
140-542: A potentially catastrophic flood from release of a vast quantity of water that had built up within an intraglacial pocket within the Tête Rousse glacier lying directly above it. When the line was electrified in 1956, three electric multiple units were purchased named Marie , Jeanne and Anne after the daughters of the founder. In 2023 these were replaced by four Stadler EMUs, named Marie , Jeanne , Anne and Marguerite . Mountain railway A mountain railway
168-540: A relatively small rolling stock manufacturer even through to the 1990s; by the mid-1990s, Stadler reportedly had only 100 employees. Around 1984, Stadler Rail decided to embark on the manufacture of passenger rolling stock for the first time. In 1987, Peter Spuhler , an in-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
196-525: A serious competitor in several categories to traditional major rolling stock companies, such as Alstom and Siemens , and has successfully secured several major orders from the incumbent train operating companies of several nations. In 1999, Stadler Rail took a 67% shareholding in a joint venture with Adtranz to manufacture the Regio-Shuttle RS1 . However, following Adtranz's acquisition by Bombardier in 2001, European Union regulators insisted on
224-606: Is a railway that operates in a mountainous region . It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes , or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the summit . Mountain railways often use narrow gauge tracks to allow for tight curves in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge , and hence construction cost and effort. Where mountain railways need to climb steep gradients, they may use steep grade railway technology, or even operate as funicular railways . Bohinj railway The Culdee Fell Railway
252-528: Is featured in the book Mountain Engines , part of The Railway Series by Rev.W.Awdry . Stadler Rail Stadler Rail AG is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock , with an original emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams , but moving also into underground , high speed , intercity and sleeper trains . It also produces niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock. Stadler Rail
280-1296: Is headquartered at its place of origin in Bussnang , Switzerland. Stadler Rail employed 13,900 employees by 2023. The company consolidates fifty subsidiaries in 23 countries including Algeria , Germany , Italy , the Netherlands , Austria , Poland , Switzerland , Spain , Czech Republic , Hungary , Belarus and the United States , and upcoming joint ventures with INKA in Indonesia and Medha Servo Drives in India . Stadler Rail employed approximately 6,100 employees by 2012, including 2,750 in Switzerland, 1,200 in Germany, 1,000 in Belarus, 400 in Hungary and 400 in Poland. By 2023, this had increased to 13,900 employees. Stadler Rail traces its origins back to an engineering office established by Ernst Stadler (1908–1981) in 1942. Three years later,
308-600: The SNCF at Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Le Fayet station to the Nid d'Aigle station near the Bionnassay Glacier at an altitude of 2,372 m (7,782 ft). The initial intention was for the line to reach the much higher Aiguille du Goûter . Nevertheless, it remains one of the highest railways in Europe and the second-highest when considering only open-air railways . The Nid d'Aigle and Mont Lachat (2,074 m (6,804 ft)),
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#1732855974218336-503: The British railway customer base, which it has claimed was due to the unfavourable complexity of the regulatory environment. 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 from Abellio Greater Anglia for its FLIRT family, leading to 378 vehicles conforming to
364-514: The UK's restrictive loading gauge that were built in Bussnang . Further orders in the UK market have included Glasgow Subway 's order for 17 underground trains, operating via an automated driverless system, it is a first for Stadler. Another major order came from Merseytravel for bespoke electric trains for Liverpool's Merseyrail commuter rail system. It has also supplied trains and tram-trains to Transport for Wales Rail . In April 2019, Stadler Rail
392-545: 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". The subsidiaries OOO Stadler (Moskau) and Stadler Reinickendorf (Berlin) were liquidated in 2022. Stadler markets
420-692: The United States, Algeria and Azerbaijan . To facilitate an expanded order book and wider customer base, the company has rapidly expanded its production capabilities. To serve the Central and Eastern European market alone, during 2005, a new assembly plant was built in Hungary , while another was completed in Poland in the following year; six years later, a third manufacturing site was established in Belarus . By late 2019,
448-742: The United States, the Middle East and the North African regions. 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, and Vossloh 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. For many years, Peter Spuhler has served as
476-494: 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. 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
504-637: The company began to manufacture its first locomotives, building both battery-electric and diesel 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. The customer base were typically within relatively niche markets, such as narrow gauge and mountain 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. Stadler Rail remained
532-554: 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 with Siemens Mobility for up to 1,380 vehicles for Berlin 's S-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 and open-access operation , to secure business for its railcars, light rail vehicles and multiple units. Stadler has
560-478: The company's chief executive officer (CEO), as well as holding a major stake in the business. 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 periodical Rail Magazine has claimed that Stadler Rail has been
588-601: The divestiture of the regional and tram product lines. As a consequence, Stadler Rail took 100% ownership of the Pankow factory in Berlin , becoming its first manufacturing base in Germany, that same year. Production of the RS1 has continued, becoming the market leading tram in the nation. Perhaps the company's most successful product has been the FLIRT ( Fast Light Innovative Regional Train ) family,
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#1732855974218616-409: The firm reportedly employed in excess of 7,000 employees at various locations spread across 20 countries. Each year, hundreds of rail vehicles, including trams , locomotives and coaches, are completed by the firm. In addition to its manufacturing efforts, considerable business is derived from contracted maintenance and refurbishment programmes, which Stadler Rail provides to operators throughout Europe,
644-502: The line, to the Col de Voza , was opened in 1907. The line reached its current terminus in August 1914 when work was suspended, because of World War I , and never resumed. The line was worked by steam locomotives until it was electrified in 1956. The line is worked by three motor coaches which are named Anne , Marie and Jeanne . These were the names of the three daughters of the line's owner at
672-475: The range includes highly diverse configurations to suit different needs, from smaller regional units to luxurious intercity trainsets, as well as broad gauge versions for Finland and former Soviet Union nations. During 2004, Stadler Rail delivered the first trainset to the Swiss Federal Railways . By 2019, in excess of 1,400 FLIRTs have been ordered by operators in 16 countries spread across Europe,
700-453: The time of electrification. The journey time is one hour from Fayet to Bellevue with four or five trips operating per day. The Mont Blanc Tramway is featured in the film Malabar Princess . In late July 2010 the last section of the Tramway and the nearby Nid d'Aigle mountain refuge was closed for safety reasons for the rest of the operational season. This was due to concerns of a repeat of
728-521: The tramway because its stops provide the jumping off points for many trails, as well as giving access to the Refuge Nid d'Aigle close to the terminus of railway. The normal alpine mountaineering route to climb Mont Blanc starts at the tramway's terminus, Nid d'Aigle , and proceeds either to an overnight stop at the Tête Rousse Hut , or at the higher Goûter Hut . The line runs from a connection with
756-490: The two highest stations of the line, are the only railway stations over 2,000 metres in France. Both are well over the tree line . The line is 12.4 km (7.7 mi) long and has a rail gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ). It is a rack and adhesion railway, using the Strub design to overcome a height difference of 1,792 m (5,879 ft). The line has an average gradient of 15% and
784-531: Was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange , reducing Spuhler's stake in the company to 40%. Prior to the listing, Spuhler had owned 80% of the business's share capital, while RAG-Stiftung [ de ] held a further 10%, and the remaining 10% was divided amongst several senior employees at the firm. In recent years, the light rail and metro sectors have become increasingly important customers. Various operators in Germany, Norway, and Britain have adopted
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