A fleet of 43 SOB's FLIRTs is complete

With the handover of the RABe 526 013 at the SOB depot in Herisau on 22 May 2025, Stadler completed the largest SOB (Schweizerische Südostbahn) order for vehicles - exactly on schedule.

Since 2016, the operator has ordered in total 30 copper-colored eight-car Traverso EMUs, designated RABe 526 101/201 to 130/230, and 13 silver-black four-car FLIRT 3 EMUs, designated RABe 526 001 to 013, in several steps.

The first vehicles have been gradually put into service since June 2019, and the entire fleet has a total length of 5,508 m. In the fourth Traverso batch (RABe 526 125/225 to 130/230) improvements have been made to increase travel comfort and further facilitate maintenance.

Problems with sliding entrance steps caused by stones in the grooves have been reduced by optimised sensors and modified software to eject the pebbles again. The automatic couplings have also been modified - the extension of the working range in the horizontal plane now allows reliable coupling even in curves; the existing Traverso fleet will be modernised accordingly.

At the suggestion of SOB staff, practical modifications have also been made to the interior: new floor coverings and folding seat covers make cleaning easier, and important components such as the earthing switch are more easily accessible, which simplifies maintenance. Passengers will particularly notice the improved sealing of the driver's cab door, which ensures quieter travel in tunnels.

The new FLIRTs also symbolize the transformation of SOB from a regional to a nationally active operator working in long-distance and regional transport. The Traversos in particular now characterise the SOB's image and travel comfort on the Voralpen-Express line, on the long-distance lines Aare Linth and Treno Gottardo and, since the start of the 2025 timetable in December 2024, also on the new Alpenrhein-Express. The new FLIRTs are also used on various regional services in eastern and central Switzerland.

SOB operated long-distance lines:
Voralpen-Express: St. Gallen - Luzern 125 km,
Treno Gottardo: Basel - Locarno 291 km,
Treno Gottardo: Zürich - Locarno 208 km,
Aare Linth: Bern - Chur 236 km,
Alpenrhein-Express: St. Gallen - Chur 106 km.

SOB is now already working on the tender for the refit of its FLIRT 2 EMUs in order to further develop them and make them fit for the second half of their life. They are the 23 FLIRTs  from the first two orders, namely 11 units RABe 526 041 to 051 (put into operation in 2007) and 12 RABe units 526 052 to 063 (put into operation in 2013).