Scania OmniExpress

Last updated

Scania OmniExpress
Geldhauser M-C5967.JPG
Scania LK 440 EB6x2*4NI OmniExpress 3.60 in operation for ADAC Postbus in Hamburg.
Overview
Manufacturer Scania
Production2007-2017
Assembly
Body and chassis
Class Commercial vehicle
Body style Single-deck coach/intercity/city bus
Doors
  • 1-1-0, 1-0-1 (3.40, 3.60)
  • 1-1-0, 1-2-0 (3.20)
  • 1-1-0, 1-2-0, 1-2-1, 2-2-0, 2-2-1 (3.20 LE)
Floor type
  • Step entrance (3.20, 3.40, 3.60)
  • Low entry (3.20 LE)
Chassis
Powertrain
Engine
  • 9.3 L DC9/DC09 I5 (diesel)
  • 9.3 L OC09 I5 (CNG or biomethane)
  • 11.7 L DC12 I6 (diesel)
  • 11.7 L DT12 I6 (turbo-compound diesel)
  • 12.7 L DC13 I6 (diesel)
Power output230-490 hp
Dimensions
Wheelbase 4.8-7.3 (+1.5) metres
Length11.0-14.9 metres
Width2.55 metres
Height3.31, 3.40, 3.60 metres
Chronology
Predecessor
  • Lahti Falcon (3.40)
  • Lahti Eagle (3.60)
  • Scania OmniLine (3.20)
  • Lahti Flyer 520 (3.20)
  • Lahti Scala (3.20 LE)
Successor

The Scania OmniExpress is a series of semi-integral single-deck coaches, intercity buses and city buses built by Scania in from 2007 until 2017. The OmniExpress 3.40 and OmniExpress 3.60, built to respective heights, are available as coach and intercity buses on the K EB and K IB chassis throughout Europe, including Russia, and right-hand drive versions for UK and Ireland. The 3.31-metre high OmniExpress 3.20 is available as an intercity bus, also on both K EB and K IB, in most of Europe, and the OmniExpress 3.20 LE is available as a low-entry city bus on K UB chassis in the Nordic countries.

Contents

Like with other integral and semi-integral models from Scania, the OmniExpress has a letter added in front of the chassis designation, which is L from Lahti. This means that the step-entrance models will have designations LK EB or LK IB depending on which chassis they have, but it does not show the height. The low-entry 3.20 LE has designation LK UB.

History

In the spring of 2007, Scania announced a collaboration with Finnish bus and coach bodywork manufacturer Lahden Autokori Oy ("Lahti") to build a series of semi-integral coaches known as Scania OmniExpress. [1] [2] Scania and Lahden Autokori had since 2001 collaborated on the low-entry city bus Lahti Scala, [3] built on L94UB and later K UB chassis. A new production plant in Lahti was built for the new product line. From the beginning the OmniExpress was available in two heights; 3.40 and 3.60 metres, replacing Lahden Autokori's own models Lahti Falcon and Lahti Eagle. A pre-production batch was manufactured for demonstrators and selected customers in Finland and Sweden, with normal production beginning in late 2007.

In April 2011, the 3.31-metre high OmniExpress 3.20, with a floor height of 860 mm, was launched. [4] It replaced the Lahti Flyer 520, and came also as a replacement for the Scania OmniLine, which had been discontinued since 2009.

In August 2013, the last Lahti Scalas were delivered, which meant that also the very last bus had been built in Lahden Autokori's old production plant in the village of Villähde in Nastola (neighbouring municipality to the city of Lahti). At the same time, the new OmniExpress 3.20 LE to replace the Scala was announced. [3] A few weeks later, in September, Lahden Autokori declared bankruptcy, which led to uncertainty for future production of Scanias in Finland. All existing orders were produced, and in April 2014 it was announced that Scania would take over the production plant in Lahti with their new subsidiary SOE Bus Production Oy from 1 May. [5] Production of the 3.20 LE started shortly after this.

In April 2014, two CNG-powered LK 305 IB4x2NB OmniExpress 3.20 were delivered to Trelleborg Municipality for use as school buses. [6] With this, Scania became the first manufacturer to currently offer step-entrance CNG-powered buses in the Nordic countries.

In late 2014, the first OmniExpress were manufactured at Scania Production Słupsk S.A. in Słupsk, Poland. As of August 2015 only the step-entrance 3.20 model is known to have been built there, while all models are still being produced in Finland.

On 15 October 2015, Scania launched the Interlink as a successor to the OmniExpress range at the Busworld Kortrijk 2015 fair. [7]

Operators

Norway

An 11.0-metre Scania LK 280 EB4x2NI OmniExpress 3.20 from Telemark Bilruter in Amot. TelemarkBilruter-ScaniaLK280EB-OmniExpress320-2.jpg
An 11.0-metre Scania LK 280 EB4x2NI OmniExpress 3.20 from Telemark Bilruter in Åmot.
Scania OmniExpress in Cap d'Agde, France) in June 2017. Scania OmniExpress (vue arriere) - Skills (Le Cap d'Agde).jpg
Scania OmniExpress in Cap d’Agde, France) in June 2017.

The first OmniExpress to arrive in Norway, a 3.60, came as a demonstrator in November 2007 in the livery of NOR-WAY Bussekspress. It was tested on several of the NOR-WAY lines across the country, but ended up as a school coach in Bardu in 2009. In the first years, the OmniExpress more or less took over the market share that the Irizar Century had, and most customers were those that had preferred Scania for a while, including Jotunheimen og Valdresruten Bilselskap, Firda Billag, Fjord1 and some subsidiaries of Nettbuss. The first substantial order was a series of 13 OmniExpress 3.40 delivered to Concordia Bus Norge in July 2009 for fleet renewal of existing PSO contracts, and in December of the same year, Nordlandsbuss received 27 OmniExpress 3.40 for a new PSO contract in Bodø.

Telemark Bilruter became the first Norwegian customer to get the OmniExpress 3.20, receiving one 11.0-metre for school services and two 13.0-metre buses for local routes in November 2011. All three were built on K EB chassis, a rather rare configuration for the 3.20 model.

In August 2013, Boreal Transport received a total of 61 new OmniExpress for regional routes in Sør-Trøndelag, [8] consisting of 27 12.9-metre two-axle 3.20 and 34 tri-axle 3.40 at 13.7-, 14.2- and 14.9-metre lengths. At the time it was the largest single order of buses both for Scania in Norway and for Lahden Autokori as a manufacturer.

In April 2014, Scania in Norway received an even bigger order, [9] [10] including the first batch of 3.20 LE to Norway. Out of a total order of 89 buses, 36 were OmniExpress. 15 13.0-metre 3.20 LE, four 11.0-metre 3.20, five 12.5-metre 3.40 and twelve 14.9-metre tri-axle 3.40 were delivered to companies Setesdal Bilruter and Agder Buss for newyear 2015, for their new PSO contracts in Aust-Agder. In June 2015, Nobina Norge received 36 CNG-powered 3.20 LE (18 two-axle 13.0-metre and 18 tri-axle 14.8-metre) for local routes in Ski, being the first ever delivery of CNG-powered Scania buses in Norway. [11]

As of August 2015, just over 400 OmniExpress of various heights, lengths and configurations have been delivered to Norwegian customers.

Italy

In 2009 Scania gift an OmniExpress prototype to DolomitiBus

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania AB</span> Swedish truck and bus manufacturer

Scania AB, stylised SCANIA in its products, is a major Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for heavy vehicles as well as marine and general industrial applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania OmniCity</span> Motor vehicle

The Scania OmniCity is an integrally constructed transverse-engined low floor city bus that was available from Scania on the European market between 1997 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz O405</span> Single-decker bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz (1983–2002)

The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a single-decker bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s as either an integral bus or a bus chassis and was the last VöV SL-II standard bus in production. It was the replacement for the Mercedes-Benz O305 and was widely used in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore with 12,000 produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Trident 2</span> 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus

The Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally manufactured by Dennis, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow. It was built by TransBus after Dennis was incorporated into the group in 2001, then from 2004, it was built by Alexander Dennis following the collapse of TransBus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancashire Coachbuilders</span> Bus bodywork manufacturer

East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company went into administration for a short while in August 2007, before being bought by Darwen Group and performed a reverse takeover with Optare when its parent purchased the company in 2008 and its site and business was later closed in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania K series</span> Motor vehicle

The Scania K series is a series of chassis in Scania's city bus and coach range with longitudinally, straight-up mounted engine at the rear, replacing the K- and L-type (L94) chassis of the 4 series. The K series was first presented on Busworld 2005 in Kortrijk, Belgium, and models were available from 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania 4-series (bus)</span> Scania low floor city bus and coach class

The Scania 4-series low floor city bus and coach range was introduced by Scania in 1997 as a successor to the 3-series bus range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania N series</span> Motor vehicle

The Scania N series is a line of low-floor bus chassis with straight-up, transversely mounted Euro IV or newer engine at the rear, built by Scania since 2006, replacing the Scania N94.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optare Olympus</span> Double-decker bus

The Optare Olympus is a double-decker bus built by Optare, East Lancs and Darwen. It could be built as a body available on Alexander Dennis Enviro400, Volvo B9TL or Scania N230UD/N270UD chassis with the 2-axle and 3-axle variants. It is the double-decker equivalent of the Optare Esteem. Some 3-axle Olympus buses were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo 7700</span> Low-floor citybus from Volvo

The Volvo 7000, later Volvo 7700, was an integrally-constructed fully low-floor single-decker rigid bus and single-decker articulated bus built by Volvo between 1999 and 2012. It was generally available as 12-metre and 18-metre on both diesel and CNG, and from 2010 as a 12-metre hybrid electric. A trolleybus version has also been built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Lancs OmniDekka</span> Double-decker bus built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders / Darwen Grp / Optare

The East Lancs OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK market, introduced by East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 2003. Originally built on Scania N94UD chassis at Euro 3, and later Scania N230UD and N270UD at Euro 4 and Euro 5, the bodywork consists of a modified East Lancs Myllennium double decker, but with the standard front end cowl and windscreen replaced with that of Scania's own integral OmniCity. Through takeovers of East Lancs, production of the OmniDekka was latterly carried out by the Darwen Group and finally Optare before ceasing in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania Citywide</span> Motor vehicle

The Scania Citywide is a series of integrally-constructed low-floor and low-entry buses manufactured by Scania from 2011 to 2024 as the successor to the Scania OmniCity and OmniLink. It consists of two models: the Citywide LF is built on the Scania N-series chassis, whereas the Citywide LE rides on the Scania K-series chassis. These were exclusively available in mainland Europe, except in the UK and Ireland, where Scania chose to rely on Alexander Dennis, Irizar and other local bodywork manufacturers instead. The series shares some front styling details with the Touring coach, while most of the design is a simple facelift from its prior models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo 9700</span> Range of coaches manufactured by Volvo

The Volvo 9700 is a range of coaches manufactured by Volvo. It was introduced in 2001 as a replacement for the Carrus Star and Vector/Regal models. There are three main models in different heights; 9700S, 9700H and 9700HD. The 9700S is available only in the Nordic countries. In addition there is the stripped down 9500 and the 9900 with theater seating. The coaches come in a variety of lengths up to 15 metres, depending on models and markets. Volvo 9700 is currently sold in most of Europe and North America. In 2015, the Volvo 9800 was launched as a replacement for the 9700 in the Mexican market, followed by the double-decker 9800DD in March 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B9RLE</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo B9RLE was a 9.4-litre engined tri-axle low-entry single-decker bus and double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 2010 and 2013. The double-decker can be built as either closed top or open top. It was introduced as an interim replacement for the soon to be discontinued B12BLE in the short gap of years before they had the Euro VI compliant B8RLE ready. At the same time they introduced a tri-axle variant of the B7RLE, but in Volvo's home markets the 290 bhp that the D7E produces is considered way too little for a 15-metre bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo 8900</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo 8900 is a single-decker city bus and intercity bus, first introduced in 2010 as a cross-breed successor to both the aluminium body 8500 and the stainless steel body 8700, taking advantage of both techniques. It is available both with 860 mm step-entrance floor and as the low-entry Volvo 8900LE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nobina</span> Bus transport group in the Nordic region

Nobina AB is the largest bus transport group in the Nordic region, serving markets in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden with a total of 3,347 buses (2014). Since 2005 the group is based in Stockholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania OmniLine</span> Motor vehicle

The Scania OmniLine was a single-deck intercity bus manufactured by Scania between 2000 and 2009. It was launched as the first normal-floor member of the Scania Omni range with the first buses being delivered in 2000. It was first produced by DAB in Silkeborg, Denmark, and was also technically just a facelift from DAB's latest model, which was known as the DAB Facelift. The technical name for the model was Scania IL94IB, which indicates that it was built on the L94IB chassis. It was available in lengths of 12.0 and 13.5 metres and a floor height of 960 mm. In 2003, Scania sold the Silkeborg plant to Norwegian bus builder Vest Busscar, and production of the OmniLine was moved to Baltcoach OÜ in Tartu, Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC</span> British-built model of double-decker bus, built since 2014

The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scania Fencer</span> Scania integral bus range

The Scania Fencer is an integrally-constructed range of full-size buses produced by Scania and bodied by Higer Bus which was launched initially in the United Kingdom in 2021. The Fencer is planned to be offered in single deck (f1), double deck (f9) and articulated (f18) variants with options for diesel, hybrid, biogas and electric drivetrains.

References

  1. "Scania på banen med turistbusser igen" [Scania back on track with tourist coaches] (in Danish). Scania Danmark. 29 March 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  2. "Uudet Scania OmniExpressit valmistuvat Lahdesta" [The new Scania OmniExpress to be built in Lahti] (in Finnish). Scania Suomessa. 15 May 2007. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Samarbetet mellan Scania och Lahti utvidgas" [Collaboration between Scania and Lahti gets extended] (in Swedish). Scania Suomi. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. "Scania OmniExpress 3.20 – new Class II coach debuts at Transport 2011". Scania. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. "Nytt Scaniabolag forsätter tillverka OmniExpress-bussar i Lahtis" [New Scania company continue manufacturing OmniExpress buses in Lahti] (in Swedish). Scania Suomi. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  6. "Scania levererar gasbussar för skoltrafik i Trelleborg" [Scania delivers gas buses for school traffic in Trelleborg] (in Swedish). Scania. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  7. "Scania Interlink – Specially designed for everything" (PDF). Scania. 15 October 2015.
  8. "61 nye Scania-busser i drift i Sør-Trøndelag" [61 new Scania buses in use in Sør-Trøndelag] (in Norwegian). Norsk Scania. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  9. "Scania signs large bus deal in Norway". Scania. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. "89 nye Scania busser til Aust-Agder" [89 new Scania buses to Aust-Agder] (in Norwegian). Norsk Scania. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  11. "Gassbuss-leveranse til Nobina Norge AS" [Gas bus delivery to Nobina Norge AS] (in Norwegian). Norsk Scania. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.