Alstom secures €4 billion contract for S-Bahn Cologne trains

Credit: Alstom

Alstom has announced that it has been awarded a landmark contract valued at over €4 billion to supply 90 Adessia Stream commuter trains to local rail transport authorities go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) for the S-Bahn Cologne network in Germany. This contract, the largest ever for Alstom in Germany, also includes a comprehensive 34-year maintenance agreement.

Müslüm Yakisan, President of the DACH region at Alstom, said: “The new generation of vehicles for S-Bahn Cologne will have a decisive impact on public transport in the region and the cityscape for decades to come. Alstom will deliver comfortable and innovative trains with a high level of passenger experience and a strong focus on accessibility. We are particularly pleased that go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr have entrusted us not only with the delivery of the vehicles, but also with their maintenance over their entire lifecycle.”

The new trains come in two configurations: a shorter model with nine cars, nearly 150m long, and a longer model with 11 cars, approximately 170m in length. Both versions will operate across different segments of the network, with capacities of over 1,150 and 1,340 passengers, respectively. They are designed to accommodate both short-haul and long-distance travel, offering speeds up to 140 km/h.

Key features of the Adessia Stream trains include Wi-Fi, power sockets, as well as robust air conditioning capable of handling temperatures between -25 and 45°C. The trains are also equipped with amenities for passengers with reduced mobility, such as dedicated wheelchair areas and accessible toilets – an innovation for Germany’s S-Bahn services. Multi-purpose areas for prams and bicycles, as well as gap-bridging devices at entry points, enhance accessibility.

Production will take place at Alstom’s Bautzen site, with development led from Hennigsdorf. Maintenance will be managed in modern depots in the Cologne area, employing preventive, corrective and predictive strategies to maximise vehicle availability and minimize costs.