GERMANY: S-Bahn Hamburg has awarded Alstom a contract to complete the fitting of its Class 490 electric multiple-unit fleet with ETCS and equipment for GoA2 semi-automatic train operation with a driver onboard.
The €60m contract announced on April 10 covers the retrofitting of 82 three-car EMUs ordered from Bombardier Transportation in 2013-18; the 64 additional sets ordered from Alstom in 2021 were specified with ETCS and ATO from new.
Alstom’s Hennigsdorf site is to fit an initial four of the earlier batch of EMUs with Onvia ETCS units and ATO by 2029 and obtain approval for their return to service. It will then provide equipment for the series retrofitting of the remaining 78 EMUs, which will be undertaken by operator DB with Alstom support.
‘The combination of digitalisation and automation is the key to more green mobility on rail’, said Tim Dawidowsky, President of Alstom’s Central & Northern Europe region. ‘It allows shorter headways and higher passenger numbers while at the same time reducing energy consumption.’
Chairman of the S-Bahn Hamburg management board Jan Schröder said ’full digitalisation of the fleet is a milestone for increased capacity, better quality, and much higher efficiency in S-Bahn operations’.
