INNOTRANS: The future appearance of the 90 extra-long electric multiple-units which Siemens Mobility is to supply for München S-Bahn services was unveiled by Bayern Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter at InnoTrans on September 25.
The livery, developed by design studio Neomind, is based on the Land of Bayern’s traditional blue and white lozenge pattern which dates back to the mediaeval counts of Bogen.
‘The new München S-Bahn trains will show who is behind them: the Free State of Bayern, which is investing more than €2bn in this project’, said Bernreiter. ‘The most modern S-Bahn trains in Germany will be travelling in the design of our local transport brand. But it’s not just about new colours, because the exterior design of the S-Bahn trains will also make it as easy as possible for passengers to find their way around in future.’
There will be strong light/dark contrasts to help passenger orientation, with dark grey doors standing out clearly from the lighter body and the five areas for wheelchair users, bicycles and pushchairs highlighted in blue and marked with pictograms. A continuous LED strip in the upper area will show the colour of the S-Bahn line.
The 13-car EMUs will be 202 m long with 376 fixed and 80 folding seats and a capacity of 1 841 passengers. Features will include 31 doorways per side, which at 1 400 mm will be 200 mm wider than those on the current fleet, with spacious boarding areas and full-length accessibility, 100 mm more legroom, lighting that automatically adapts to the time of day, USB ports, windows that are specially treated to improve mobile phone reception and powerful air-conditioning to ensure a comfortable onboard environment in ambient temperatures ranging from -25°C to 45°C.
More than 160 interior and exterior displays will provide passengers with real-time information about the route, stations and occupancy, including where stairs or lifts are located on each station platform before they even get off the train.
The 160 km/h trains will be equipped for automatic train operation using the ETCS which DB expects to deploy across the S-Bahn network from 2030.
The order was placed in August 2023. Production is to begin in 2025, with the first of the EMUs to be delivered at the end of 2028. Financing has been arranged by Land railway agency BEG, which selected lessor LHI Leasing based in Pullach and investors the European Investment Bank and UniCredit Bank.
‘Our project team is working with our partners on the finishing touches so the XXL S-Bahn trains can go into production right on time’, said Heiko Büttner, DB representative for the Bayern and CEO of S-Bahn München. ‘The new trains will set standards throughout Germany. For the first time, 200 m long S-Bahn trains will be fully accessible from front to rear and offer generous space and comfort for more than 1 800 passengers. This way, we can replace up to 1 500 cars in rush hours with a single train and show what a strong rail system can achieve’.
