DENMARK: National operator DSB has selected Talgo to supply a fleet of locomotive-hauled coaches to operate international services to and from Hamburg.
The contract announced on February 5 covers eight sets of coaches, which are expected to enter service from June 2023. As an iteration of the company’s Talgo 230 platform, they will follow on from the similar Talgo ECx inter-city trainsets ordered by DB.
The DSB rakes will be suitable for operation at up to 200 km/h, and will have a capacity of at least 440 passengers, facilities for wheelchair users, multi-purpose areas for prams and bicycles, charging points for electric bikes, CCTV, passenger information screens and vending machines offering hot and cold drinks and snacks.
The coaches will be operated in a top-and-tail configuration with Siemens Mobility Vectron locomotives which DSB ordered in 2018 for delivery from this year.
Deploying the Talgo sets on international services to Hamburg would add capacity and provide a better passenger experience, said DSB Chief Executive Flemming Jensen. It would also release IC3 diesel multiple-units to provide ‘much-needed’ extra capacity on domestic services, and enable the withdrawal of the trouble-plagued fleet of AnsaldoBreda IC4 DMUs.
‘With these new coaches and the electric locomotives already ordered, the road is paved for modern and green train services to and from Germany’, commented Transport Minister Benny Engelbrecht. The deal is the second of three rolling stock orders to be placed in support of Denmark’s national electrification programme, following from the Vectron locomotives. The procurement of electric multiple-units is underway.
Bombardier Transportation and Siemens Mobility had also prequalified for the contract. DSB will maintain the Talgo trainsets itself.
