Assembly of Berlin’s New S-Bahn Trains Under Way

Berlin is looking forward to its new S-Bahn with great anticipation – and the first concrete steps are under way.

The starting gun for the technical and interior equipment of the still empty car bodies for the latest trains of S-Bahn Berlin’s light rail fleet has been fired at the Stadler plant in Berlin- Pankow.

Berlin S-Bahn Trains
Berlin S-Bahn Class 481 © Hugh Llewelyn (license)

Assembly of the New S-Bahn Trains

The exterior paint of the first body-shell in the daylight-filled assembly hall is a real feast for the eyes. 220 kilograms of red and yellow colour painted onto the car’s approximately 17 meters length leave no doubt that securing the future of Berlin’s light rail system is in full swing. Manufactured at the Stadler plant in Hungary, the first end car was transported to the German capital city on a flatbed truck.

The technicians from the Siemens-Stadler manufacturing consortium can now start their job. First, they will focus on 30 pilot series cars. Five fully walk- through four-car units and five two-car trainsets will each be equipped in the coming months. 352 additional cars will follow in the next few years.

“Heart, Brain and Soul”

The assembly technicians will breathe life into the red and yellow car bodies. The traction container hosting the traction motors and electrical equipment is the “heart” of the car, whereas the control system is the “brain”. And finally, the comprehensive comfort features designed by the development team in close cooperation with light rail customers and passenger associations symbolise the “soul”. This also includes the contemporary continuation of the classic red and yellow color design that has made S-Bahn Berlin so distinctive for almost 100 years.

Peter Buchner, Managing Director of S-Bahn Berlin, expresses his delight that a major milestone has been reached:

“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.”

Sabrina Soussan, CEO of the Siemens Mobility Division, emphasises:

“We will equip the new trains for Berlin with components that have proven their worth many times – a tried-and-tested, robust technology which is operating extremely reliably in vehicles worldwide. Since the trains stand out due to their particularly fault-tolerant design, passengers in Berlin can look forward to a highly reliable train service.”

S-Bahn Berlin

After their delivery during the period from 2021 to 2023, a total of 85 new four- car trains and 21 two-car units will be available for light rail operations on the so-called Ringbahn (circular line) and the southeastern access routes – the impressive result of the two experienced rolling stock manufacturers’ hard work. S-Bahn Berlin is investing about € 900 million in new vehicles and the necessary adaptation of its workshop in Grünau.

Original article © Stadler.

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