Technicians have begun work on the new pre-series S-Bahn trains in Germany.
The bodyshell of the first of 30 pre-series cars has been manufactured at Stadler’s plant in Hungary and transported to Berlin, where Siemens’ workers can now begin installing the technical and interior equipment alongside Stadler colleagues at the Swiss firm’s Berlin plant.
Overall S-Bahn Berlin, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, is investing around €900 million in new vehicles and the adaptation of its Grünau workshop.
In the coming months the 17m cars, which will be configured as five four-car units and five two-car units, will be fully equipped.
Each of the new cars will painted in the distinctive red and yellow colour design of Berlin’s S-Bahn. In the following years, 352 additional cars are due to follow.
After the full delivery of the 85 four-car trains and 21 two-car trains between 2021 and 2023, the units will be available for light rail operations on the Ringbahn (circular line) and the southeastern access routes.
The rolling stock consortium signed a firm order with S-Bahn Berlin in December 2015 for the delivery of 106 trains as part of a wider framework agreement for 1,380 new vehicles.
S-Bahn Berlin managing director Peter Buchner said: “We’re on schedule. Just about two years after signing the contract, the assembly of the new trains so eagerly awaited by future passengers has now started.
“The first fully equipped train will already rest on its own bogies next year.”
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