GERMANY: DB Regio has placed its first order for Stadler Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units, signing a €220m contract on June 5 for 18 four-car units for use in Schleswig-Holstein.
This follows the award in April of a contract for incumbent and sole bidder DB Regio to continue to operate Elektronetz Ost services from Lübeck to Hamburg, Travemünde and Puttgarden for 13 years from December 2022.
The 160 km/h Kiss EMUs will have two driving motor and two trailer cars, with the capability for up to three units to operate in multiple. Each unit will have 405 seats, including 38 in first class arranged 2+1, and a total capacity of 880 passengers.
They will be equipped with wi-fi, power sockets, CCTV, a passenger information system and electronic seats reservations. The lower deck will have multi-purpose areas for prams or up to 36 bicycles. There will be spaces for wheelchairs, accessible toilets, and sliding gap fillers to provide step-free access from 760 mm high platforms.
As part of the Fehmarn Belt project the EMUs will in future be retrofitted with Stadler’s own Guardia onboard ETCS equipment, which the manufacturer said was a ‘a further important milestone’ in its efforts to expand its signalling business.
