GERMANY: DB Regio has selected Bombardier Transportation to help modernise its fleet of 157 ET 423 and ET 430 electric multiple-units used on Stuttgart S-Bahn services over the past two decades.
Operating up to 23 million train-km per year, the fleet carries around 400 000 passengers/day. The mid-life refurbishment is intended to improve passenger comfort and onboard facilities in line with current standards, bringing the units into line with the 58 additional four-car ET 430s ordered in February 2019; the first of these are now being assembled at the manufacturer’s Hennigsdorf plant.
Valued at approximately €103m, the contract announced on December 8 covers engineering services for redesign of the two classes, along with the modernisation of three pre-series trainsets of each class.
Development work will be undertaken at Bombardier’s Mannheim and Hennigsdorf sites, with the trains to be refurbished at Hennigsdorf. The company will then supply materials for the in-house refurbishment of the remaining vehicles by S-Bahn Stuttgart.
The work will include the installation of a modern passenger information and infotainment system and onboard wi-fi, as well as electrical sockets for charging mobile devices. An automatic passenger counting system will be installed.
The interior design is intended to provide a greater differentiation between the various vehicle areas, including the saloons, and entrance vestibules. The existing multi-purpose areas at the ends of each train will have their seating reconfigured to improve access for wheelchair users and passengers with prams and buggies. They will be supplemented by two areas in the centre of the unit which will be fitted with folding seats and perches to create more space for bicycles.
‘With the interior elements of our redesign, we are meeting the latest requirements for urban mobility’, explained S-Bahn Stuttgart CEO Dirk Rothenstein. ‘For passengers in the Stuttgart region, this means better passenger service and more space for wheelchairs and buggies as well as bicycles.’
