GERMANY: DB Regio has awarded Alstom a €120m contract to supply 19 Coradia Continental regional electric multiple-units. They are to be used on services from Karlsruhe to Heilbronn, Achern, Freudenstadt and Herrenberg which DB Regio is to operate from December 2022 under the 13-year Netz 7b contract awarded by the Land of Baden-Württemberg in October.
Procurement has been undertaken using ‘Baden-Württemberg model’. The order is placed by the operator, but on delivery the ownership of the vehicles will be transferred to Land rolling stock body SFBW, which will then lease them back to the operator for the duration of its contract.
Alstom said the EMUs would be designed to optimise the passenger experience while meeting the Land’s operational requirements, which include deployment on steeply-graded routes through the Schwarzwald. Passenger facilities will include ‘high-performance’ wi-fi, spacious multi-purpose areas in each car and bicycle spaces.
‘Passengers in the Karlsruhe region can look forward to modern, proven and reliable trains’, said Jörg Nikutta, Managing Director of Alstom in Germany & Austria, when the order was announced on November 14. ‘Our trains not only satisfy passengers, but are also known for outstanding reliability and availability’.
