Deutsche Bahn and Alstom sign a contract for 56 regional trains for the Cologne network

German operator DB Regio AG has placed a €325 million order with Alstom to supply 56 Coradia Lint regional trains. The trains are slated to go into service in December 2013 on largely non-electrified lines in Greater Cologne and in the Eifel region, the Cologne diesel network.

The Cologne/Bonn region is one of the biggest agglomerations in Germany. After a tender process, the mass transit association “Nahverkehr Rheinland” (NVR), the rail-bound passenger traffic association “Schienenpersonenverkehr Rheinlandpfalz-Nord” (SPNV-Nord) and the mass transit association “Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe” (NWL) have commissioned DB Regio Rheinland GmbH, a subsidiary of DB Regio AG, to operate the passenger service on the mass transit lines and to expand the rail transportation service. Using these 56 new Coradia Lint trains, DB will achieve around 7.2 million train kilometres per year. Currently 65,000 commuters are using the DB trains daily. The associations and DB expect the number of passengers to further increase with this new offer.

“With this investment we are continuing consequently the upgrading of our train fleet. We are empowering our company for a sustainable future. This will be to the benefit of the German railway system and mostly of our customers“, explained Dr. , CEO of Deutsche Bahn.

“With the Cologne Diesel network we are capitalizing on our long lasting and successful partnership with DB in the regional train market and we are happy to improve with our Alstom’s Coradia Lint trains the service delivered to the passengers in the region of Cologne. Our Coradia Lint product line is based on an extended and fully developed platform, at this stage unique in terms of quality and cost-efficiency,” said Martin Lange, Managing Director Alstom Transport Germany.

Substantial improvements for passengers and the environment

The Coradia Lint trains are two- and three-car diesel multiple units. They will be designed and manufactured at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter. To meet the requirements of regional and suburban operation, the trains will be characterized by high acceleration and high seating capacity. The new vehicles with 180 seats (Lint 54) and 300 seats (Lint 81) can run up to a maximum speed of 140 km/h. Movable steps will facilitate the boarding and disembarkation of passengers, especially at different platform heights. For mobility-impaired passengers, the trains will be equipped with two wheelchair spaces and one WC for disabled as well as a ramp for bridging the gap between the train and the platform edge. On-board surveillance cameras will be used to reinforce passenger safety. The modern engines of the vehicles will meet the most stringent European exhaust emission standards (Stage IIIb) applicable from 2012.

To increase passive passenger safety, the trains will be equipped with state-of-the-art crash elements. Alstom has taken a series of measures according to the European crashworthiness standard of rail vehicles (EN 15227).

Manufactured from intensively tested and service-proven components, Alstom’s Coradia Lint fleet has enjoyed considerable commercial success. Since the launch of the first trains in 2000, Alstom has sold nearly 600 multiple units to both public and private operators in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. In the meantime, the range has proven its performance throughout more than 400 million kilometres of commercial service.

Alstom Transport’s range of regional trains

Drawing on its 30 years of experience in regional transport, Alstom has developed a range of regional and suburban trains in response to the congestion of urban and motorway networks and the increasing expansion of suburban areas. These trains also contribute to regional economic development and help protect the environment. Alstom’s Coradia and X’Trapolis ranges now offer operators and users a solution closely matched to their needs and expectations: comfortable, reliable and available high-capacity regional trains that are easy to maintain and have a limited impact on the environment. At its plants in Salzgitter (Germany), Valenciennes (France) and Savigliano (Italy), Alstom has already built over 3,000 regional trains that have covered more than four billion kilometres.