GERMANY: The Land of Bayern has announced plans to replace diesel traction on 462 km of non-electrified lines with battery and electric traction by 2036.
Overhead electrification would be built over 210 km. For the operation of the services, Bayern railway authority BEG is planning to procure electric multiple-units, battery-electric hybrid multiple-units, tilting battery multiple-units, and ‘conventional’ battery multiple-units.
This replaces an earlier plan of battery-hydrogen-electric tri-mode operation.
The Land of Bayern and BEG have published a feasibility study, carried out by Enotrac, SMA + Partner and hynes. It found that the combination of battery and hydrogen propulsion in one vehicle would be technically too complex and associated with high risks. The elimination of the construction of hydrogen supply and refuelling infrastructure would also save cost.
The total investment is estimated at €365m, and the Land of Bayern is seeking federal co-financing. It is to commission infrastructure manager DB InfraGO with the planning of the infrastructure expansion later this year.
Full electrification
The study recommends the full electrification of seven now diesel-operated lines, for operations by electric multiple-units:
- RS 5 Ulm – Aalen (planned as part of the Regio-S-Bahn Donau-Iller project, promoted by the Land of Baden-Württemberg);
- RS 51 Ulm – Langenau;
- RE 50 Ulm – Aalen;
- RS 7 Ulm – Memmingen;
- RS 71 Ulm – Weißenhorn;
- RE 75 Ulm – Kempten – Oberstdorf;
- RB 83 Augsburg – Gessertshausen – Langenneufnach.
Electrification of the Neu-Ulm – Kempten line is to be extended to Oberstdorf later, allowing electric traction throughout the entire Illertalbahn. Initially, charging facilities are to be implemented to support battery-electric operation in Oberstdorf and Kempten.
The Gessertshausen – Langenneufnach line is planned for reopening, including electrification.
Battery-electric operation
The study outlines the use of battery-electric traction on other lines, for which the electrification of the following sections are recommended:
- Augsburg-Hochzoll – Obergriesbach;
- Augsburg main station – Bobingen;
- Buchloe – Biessenhofen;
- Weilheim – Peißenberg.
Charging stations are to be built in Füssen and Krumbach, and a substation for the traction electricity supply in Immenstadt.
Solely battery operation
Nine unelectrified lines are to be converted to battery operation with ‘conventional’ battery technology:
- RB 13 Augsburg – Ingolstadt;
- RB 14 Ingolstadt – Eichstätt;
- RB 67 Augsburg-Oberhausen – Schongau;
- RB 69 Augsburg – Landsberg;
- RE 71 Augsburg – Memmingen;
- RE 73 Augsburg – Bad Wörishofen;
- RB 73 Kempten – Pfronten-Steinach (– Garmisch-Partenkirchen);
- RB 78 Mindelheim – Günzburg;
- RB 94 Kempten - Hergatz (– Lindau-Insel).
Tilting battery trainsets
Operations of five lines are to be converted to a new technology, using tilting battery vehicles:
- RE 7 Augsburg – Lindau-Insel;
- RE 17 Augsburg – Oberstdorf;
- RE 70 München – Lindau-Insel;
- RE 76 München – Oberstdorf;
- RE 79 Augsburg – Kempten.
These lines today are mainly operated by Class 612 tilting diesel multiple-units, built by Adtranz and Bombardier Transportation between 1998 and 2003.
