Alstom to provide 14 regional trains to AKN
Posted: 6 May 2013 | | No comments yet
Alstom is awarded a contract worth around 60 million euros by AKN Eisenbahn AG for the supply of 14 Coradia Lint regional trains…
Alstom is awarded a contract worth around 60 million euros by the private operator AKN Eisenbahn AG for the supply of 14 Coradia Lint regional trains to run in the Northern Germany, connecting the cities of Hamburg, Elmshorn, Neumünster and Norderstedt in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.
With 9.5 million passengers transported per year in the rapidly growing environs of the city of Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany, AKN wanted to renew its actual fleet in order to enhance its transport capacity. The new trains will circulate on a 131 km-long network and serve 48 stations.
The Coradia Lint train ordered by AKN is diesel multiple-unit (DMU) and can run at a maximum speed of 120 km/h. Equipped with three engines, the train can accelerate more efficiently. It is also equipped with an intelligent traction and operation management, meeting the currently applicable most stringent exhaust emission standards.
The trains offer an overall transport capacity of around 350 passengers. For more fluidity in the heavy frequented suburban traffic, the 54 meter long train is equipped with four doors to ease entry and exit. To offer comfort to passengers including those with reduced mobility, the trains offer spaces for wheelchairs or strollers, intercom and a gap bridging between the train and the platform. In addition, the train is equipped with an air conditioning system. To increase the feeling of safety, the train is equipped with monitoring cameras.
“With nearly 750 trains sold in the last fifteen years, commuters of the suburban area of Hamburg can be assured to travel aboard reliable, safe and environmentally-friendly trains” said Dr. Martin Lange, member of the board of Alstom Deutschland AG.
“The procurement of new vehicles is an elementary step for our company: The new Alstom vehicles will replace our old vehicles from the second half of the year 2015. With a lifetime of forty years, the present vehicles are indeed very old and loud and do not offer enough passenger comfort“, Wolfgang Seyb of the AKN Management Board expresses the importance of the new vehicles to the Kaltenkirchen company.
The new trains are scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2015 and will be manufactured at Alstom Salzgitter site in Germany.