GERMANY: Hamburg city transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn has signed a €2·8bn framework agreement for Alstom to supply up to 374 metro trainsets and communications-based train control equipment.
The deal announced on July 10 covers up to 120 DT6-A driverless trainsets for GoA4 unattended automatic operation on the future Line U5, which is currently under construction, and 254 DT6-F (with driver) semi-automated trains to gradually replace the current DT4 fleet on the existing network.
There is an initial €670m firm order for 41 DT6-F trainsets for the existing network and seven DT6-A trains and CBTC for the 5·8 km five-station first phase of U5 between Bramfeld and City Nord.
Production of the rolling stock at Alstom’s Salzgitter plant is scheduled to start in 2026 for delivery from early 2028 ahead of the opening of the first section of U5 in 2029.
‘With this contract, we are laying the foundation for the growth of the Hamburg U-Bahn in the coming decades’, said Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport. ‘At the end of 2018, Hochbahn had around 250 vehicles in operation, currently there are 290. The contract will increase the number of U-Bahn trains in Hamburg by around 50% by 2050.’
Shaping Hamburg’s cityscape
‘The DT6 will offer customers a completely new experience — from the interior design, transparency and brightness to the modern information systems that provide passengers with optimum orientation’, said Hamburger Hochbahn CEO Robert Henrich. ‘All to the highest technical standard. At the same time, the new trains will shape Hamburg’s cityscape like no other vehicle.’
The stainless steel trainsets from Alstom’s Metropolis family are intended to combine a high capacity with safety and comfort.
The four-car DT6 trains will be 40 m long, the same as the three-car DT5 sets. The legacy infrastructure requires a maximum axle load of 10 tonnes, and Hochbahn said the additional bogie would enable more people to be carried while the shorter car length would mean that the car width can be increased from 2 600 to 2 730 mm to provide more space for passengers and improve accessibility by reducing the gap at curved platforms.
Up to three trainsets will be able to operate in multiple, providing a capacity of 850 passengers with DT6-F sets and almost 900 people with DT6-A sets which will not have space taken up by cabs.
The modern interior design will include USB charging points, air-conditioning and large windows, with doors made almost entirely of glass to make the vehicles appear more transparent.
The internal layout aims to meet the needs of different user groups, including people with disabilities or pushchairs.
Seats will be arranged both in groups of four and lengthways, with multi-purpose areas near the doors for those who need a lot of room, space near the doors for people making short trips, and bays of seats for longer journeys.
‘To keep it as simple as possible, there is a suitable offer behind every door. This saves searching’, said Henrich.
Alstom’s Berlin site is to supply the Urbalis CBTC, which will support 90 sec headways to enable 270 000 passengers/day to be carried once the full 25 km long U5 with 23 stations is completed.
‘This contract is a milestone for Alstom’, said Müslüm Yakisan, President DACH region at Alstom. ’Hamburg is meeting the growing demand for mobility and sending an international signal for digital and green mobility.’
