Current developments in the X80 project
posted on 8th Feb 2026 11:56
In April 2018, Västtrafik ordered 40 three-car EMUs from the then Bombardier Transportation (BT), whose deliveries were to take place between 2021 and 2024; the contract also included an option for another 60 units. The new trains are to help handle the expected increased volume of train traffic in the growing region, as the number of passengers has more than doubled since Västtrafik was founded in 1999 and the current goal is to double the current number of train journey to 130,000 daily by 2035. Therefore, in November 2018, five more trains were ordered from the option.
The units, designated by the customer as Snabbtåg (“fast trains”), were structurally based on the Regina type, which is widely used by various operators in Sweden. However, they were eventually included in the BT‘s ZEFIRO family and were therefore designated by the manufacturer as ZEFIRO Express X80. However, several circumstances intervened in the project that significantly delayed the implementation, with the unexpected complications being COVID-19 and the merger of BT with Alstom, completed in January 2021.
The relatively expected complications were delays in the production, testing and approval of the Class X80, which were further exacerbated by both of the above circumstances. The final assembly of the trains, which now belong to the Avelia Stream Nordic family according to Alstom’s portfolio, began in September 2020 at the Hennigsdorf works using bodyshells manufactured and partially also internally fitted at the BST Qingdao (the latter stands for Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation, a joint venture between CRRC Sifang and Bombardier, established in November 1998).
Five pre-series X80s were built for the first phase, intended for testing and approval, and as recently as 2020 it was stated that the first units should be transported to Sweden in the second half of 2021. This remained only theoretical, as testing in Sweden did not begin until April 2022, when the X80 004 as the first unit arrived, and focused on the vehicles' performance in Nordic climate conditions.
Then in 2023 it was planned that the first X80s would enter service in April 2025, with the remaining units being delivered at a rapid pace until the turn of 2026/27. Even the first part of this plan did not materialize, and in mid-July 2025, when we asked what the problems with the approval were, Alstom said that “the train tests are proceeding as planned. Certification should be obtained during the year after the completion of this long testing process.”
In early August last year, Västtrafik said that it expected the first X80s to start operating in the coming winter, meaning December 2025. According to Västtrafik, at that time there were six trains in Sweden: the first five pre-series units and the first batch-built one, and 25 trains were in various stages of production in Henngisdorf.
The trains wear also the Västtågen logos, because since 12 December 2010, Västtågen has been the brand for the regional train lines for which Västtrafik is responsible in western Sweden. (Since December 2015, Göteborg's commuter train lines are also included in this brand.)
On 5 November 2025, Västtrafik announced that the regional council had approved the purchase of an additional 35 Avelia Stream Nordic EMUs worth approximately 363 million EUR, bringing the total number of units ordered to 80 out of a possible 100. This will see the withdrawn of older vehicles, the unification of Västtrafik’s fleet and an increase in transport capacity, which is also in line with the development of infrastructure, which also includes the Västlänken tunnel (this “Western Link” is an 8 km long double-track railway line in the centre of Göteborg, 6 km of which is in the tunnel, which has been under construction since 2017 and, due to construction delays, is not due to be completed until 2030 instead of 2026).
In January this year, Västtrafik told us that: “The plan is for Class X80 new commuter and regional trains to be put into service in West Sweden starting in 2026. Our hope is that this will happen in April. Initially, the delays were due to the pandemic and delays in Alstoms manufacturing process. Right now, we are experiencing delays in the final delivery as Alstom has discovered problems with the software in the trains. We are now working with them to ensure they can come up with a sustainable solution so that we get a reliable and well-functioning train. At the moment there are four pre-series and four batch-built X80 trains in Sweden.“