Stadler celebrated the 15th anniversary of the opening of its train carriage plant in Szolnok, Hungary last month, and the highlight of the event was the unveiling of the first aluminium double-decker carriage body produced by Stadler in the country. It was hosted by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Stadler’s CEO Peter Spuhler, who said this achievement is a significant landmark in the history of the Hungarian rail industry.
“This event highlights the importance and growth of the Szolnok plant over the last 15 years, and has been made possible by a 45-million-euro refurbishment programme announced in 2023. Further development of the plant will include the introduction of friction-stir-welding (FSW) technology, which will make production more sustainable with the need of less raw material, energy, and waste. The plant will start using the new technology at the end of this year.”
The Szolnok plant opened in 2009 and was originally designed for up to 200 carriages to be built there per year, and for 200 staff to work at the facility. The original team of 100 people, who had been trained in Switzerland, produced 52 carriages in the first year; over the past 15 years, the factory has become the largest production site and one of the most modern facilities in the CEE region (Central and Eastern Europe).
Stadler Szolnok, which is now Stadler’s largest production site for carriages, will produce not only single-deck but also double-deck types; this development is a result of the last investment announced in 2023 and has created 170 jobs in total. The plant has produced a total of 5,600 carriages, and these are operating in 14 different countries, including the USA, the UK, Spain, Italy, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. To date, Stadler has invested 200 million euros in Szolnok.
Peter Spuhler, Stadler Rail Group’s chairman, said: “We are very proud of how our plant has developed over the last 15 years. Today, it is the largest carriage plant in the Stadler Group. Hungary is a strategic market for Stadler, and I am delighted that more and more Stadler trains are operating on the Hungarian rail network. This would not have been possible without the enormous commitment of our employees, so a big thank you to all of them, too.”