Siemens’ 18 Desiro HC Double-Decker Trains Enter Service

18 Desiro HC double-decker trains enter service in Franconia and southern Thuringia in December. They include 10,000 more seats per day and cutting-edge technology and will be running at 30 minute service intervals between Nuremberg and Bamberg. Eight more trains are coming June 2024.

When the timetable changes in December 2023, 18 new Desiro HC double-decker trains from Siemens Mobility will inaugurate service for the Franconia-Thuringia Express. With a top speed of 160 km/h, 380 seats, spaces for 36 bicycles, WiFi service, high-frequency windowpanes that significantly improve cellphone reception, as well as an electronic passenger information system with 27 monitors, the new Franconia-Thuringia Express operated by DB Regio Bayern offers a new experience for its passengers.

“Siemens Mobility is proud that our Desiro HC double-decker trains will be making a significant contribution to strengthening rail and driving the mobility transition in our home region of Franconia and Thuringia,” Dr. Elmar Zeiler, Head of Commuter and Regional Trains at Siemens Mobility, said. “The proven Desiro HC trains are especially powerful and comfortable and are highly popular with passengers.” 

DB Regio Bayern and Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft (BEG), which plans, finances and controls regional and S-Bahn transport on behalf of the state of Bavaria, presented the new train today together with Siemens Mobility at the Bamberg main station, followed by a press tour through Franconia. Bavaria and Thuringia are investing a total of €320 million in the new train fleet to expand regional transport capacities. 

“Passengers on the Franconia-Thuringia Express can look forward not only to more comfortable new trains, but also to a big improvement in service: On most of the lines, the regional trains will run more frequently than at present,” Bärbel Fuchs, Managing Director of BEG, said. “For example, we have ordered and financed 20% more regional express trains in order to provide daily half-hour service between Bamberg, Erlangen, and Nuremberg when the new timetable takes effect.”

The new, red Desiro HC will begin service for the Franconia-Thuringia Express in two stages: In December 2023, 18 new four-car trains will start operating on four routes in Franconia and southern Thuringia. The second stage will follow in June 2024, when eight new six-car Desiro HC trains, specially designed for a top speed of 190 km/h and fitted with 634 seats, start running on the VDE 8.1 (German Unity Transport Project Number 8) high-speed line in the direction of Erfurt. They will be among the fastest regional trains operating in Germany. This has optimised passenger access to train cars for serving the region’s busiest stations with a platform height of 0.76 meters.

“Passengers will benefit from greater comfort and convenience, such as WiFi service and highly dependable cell phone reception,” Hansrüdiger Fritz, CEO DB Regio Bayern Regional Management, said. “We are delighted to be working together with the states of Bavaria and Thuringia as well as Siemens Mobility on the further modernisation of our train fleet, and excited that we will be operating even faster trains beginning in June 2024.”

Construction work will still be taking place between Bamberg and Nuremberg from 10th to 16th December, and buses will replace the trains. During this period, the new trains will not operate on this section of the route, but only on the remaining sections served by the Franconia-Thuringia Express.