Stadler and Metra will present a battery-electric FLIRT train at APTA EXPO 2026, the two companies have announced.

The display will showcase the battery-electric variant of Stadler's FLIRT family, a platform the Swiss manufacturer has supplied to operators across Europe and North America. Metra, the commuter rail agency serving the Chicago region, is partnering with Stadler on the presentation.

APTA EXPO, held every three years alongside the American Public Transportation Association's annual meeting, is the largest public transport trade show in North America. The 2026 edition gives suppliers a stage to reach US and Canadian transit agencies procuring new fleets.

Battery-electric multiple units have drawn growing interest from North American commuter operators seeking to electrify services without the capital cost of overhead catenary. Stadler has positioned the FLIRT battery variant as an off-wire solution for lines where full electrification is not economically justified.

No details on fleet numbers, delivery dates or service routes were included in the announcement. Metra has not publicly committed to a battery-electric FLIRT order, and the EXPO presentation should be read as a demonstration of the technology for the North American market rather than a confirmed procurement.

The announcement follows Stadler's expanding footprint in the United States, where the manufacturer has won orders from commuter and regional operators in recent years and has built out its domestic manufacturing and assembly capability.

A formal unveiling is expected at APTA EXPO 2026, where Stadler and Metra will display the trainset and outline its technical specifications for prospective North American buyers.