Additional trains to provide higher capacity for the Mittelrheinbahn

Longer trains are set to operate on the highly frequented stretch of the Mittelrheinbahn between Cologne and Remagen beginning with the timetable change in December 2020. This change will be possible following an agreement to expand the existing fleet with six new Mireo trains from manufacturer Siemens Mobility.

TransRegio, a subsidiary of the Transdev Group, has been using trains provided by Alpha Trains for the Mittelrheinbahn since December 2008. At present, 17 Desiro Mainline trainsets serve on the Cologne Messe – Deutz – Koblenz – Mainz route.

The new Mireo trainsets will be used in the future primarily on the RB 26 stretch of the route between Mainz and Bingen. “As a result, existing trains will be freed up and we’ll be able to serve the highly frequented route between Cologne and Remagen with triple-unit Desiro Mainline trains,” said NVR Managing Director Heiko Sedlaczek. “This is equivalent to a 50 per cent capacity increase on this stretch and will be a huge improvement for our passengers.”

Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director of the Alpha Trains Passenger Division, noted: “The success of the Mittelrheinbahn is a great incentive for us. We’ll be meeting growing capacity requirements flexibly with additional trains – all in the framework of the current transport contract and without guarantees from the public sector.”

Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Siemens Mobility, said: “We’re providing our customer a train in record time. This is possible due to the high flexibility of the Mireo platform. As a scalable articulated train featuring bogies with inside bearings, the Mireo is especially energy efficient. This increases value sustainable over the train’s entire lifecycle.”

The state-of-the-art Mireo regional train features an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly design. The basic car body was developed as a lightweight welded integral aluminum monocoque construction. The train’s improved aerodynamics, energy-efficient components and intelligent on-board network management system reduce the use of resources and lower emissions as well as noise. By relying on specially selected materials, the Mireo has a recycling quota of 95 per cent at the end of its service life. Construction of the new trains is scheduled to begin at the end of 2019 at the Siemens Mobility factory in Krefeld, Germany.

Passenger comfort is ensured by generous seat spacing and ergonomically designed seats. The fresh air supply is automatically regulated, depending on passenger volumes in each car, by a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system with CO₂ sensors. Separate multipurpose areas provide generous storage space for bicycles and other bulky items. Large displays provide up-to-date passenger information and the trains also offer onboard Internet service as well as CCTV security surveillance systems. The toilets have barrier-free access. To facilitate passenger boarding, all doorways have two overlapping sliding steps that can be extended depending on the platform height.