Stadler Citylink

The Stadler Citylink is a rail vehicle platform typically used for tram-trains manufactured by Stadler Rail. The design was introduced at Vossloh's Valencia factory in the 2000s before its sale to Stadler Rail in 2015. Stadler has continued to market the model since then. Most vehicles remain produced in Valencia, however vehicles for the US market are expected to be assembled at Stadler's Salt Lake City facility. Given its top speed of 100–110 km/h (62–68 mph) the Citylink mainly sees use in interurban-like applications as a tram, tram-train, or EMU. First introduced in a metre-gauge variant in Spain, the Citylink is currently also used in standard-gauge variants in Germany, Hungary, Mexico and the United Kingdom, and is on order for systems in Austria, Denmark, and the United States. The largest operator of the Citylink, as well as its first standard-gauge operator, is the Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe (VBK) of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn. The Citylink has been the launch rolling-stock of numerous tram-train systems, most notably in Alicante, Sheffield, and Szeged. In 2022, the supply of Citylinks made Stadler's then-largest contract to date, the VDV Tram-Train project involving a consortium of six Austrian and German operators ordering 246 vehicles with an option for a further 258. The deal is worth €4 billion (£3.3 billion).