Trans Regio Deutsche Regionalbahn (Trans Regio), a subsidiary of the Transdev Group, has signed a long-term lease with Alpha Trains for 23 EMU trains.
The EMUs are currently in service on the MittelrheinBahn concession, which is operated by Trans Regio. The long-term lease was arranged after the transportation company won the Europe-wide re-tender for this concession earlier this year.
The new contract begins in December 2023 and will run until December 2033. There is an option to extend the contract until December 2036, with an additional option to extend the contract for services on the Mainz–Bingen–Koblenz section up to June 2037.
Of the 23 vehicles, 17 are Siemens Desiro MLs. These have been connecting Cologne, Koblenz and Mainz on the MittelrheinBahn since 2008.
Six new Siemens Mireo trains were added to the Mainz to Bingen section of the fleet last December. This allowed Trans Regio to expand capacity on the busiest section of the MittelrheinBahn line – between Cologne and Remagen – during peak times by converting them from double-unit to triple-unit traction.
“We're delighted that our long-term partner Trans Regio will continue to operate this line with our reliable trains, which will undergo an extensive modernisation and refurbishment programme for that purpose.”
Modernisation and refurbishment work will now take place on the Desiro MLs. This will include new seating arrangements, side tables and more space between seats. Wifi, additional sockets and dynamic passenger information on TFT monitors will also be provided.
This work will be carried out by Siemens Mobility Werkstätten West in Wildenrath, while maintenance of the vehicles will continue at Trans Regio’s Koblenz-Moselweiß workshop.
