Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland, Alstom, Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH (NASA) and Rolls-Royce signed, at InnoTrans, a letter of intent to jointly implement a new hybrid drive solution on Abellio’s fleet of Coradia Lint diesel trains.
“As one of the largest operators of local rail passenger transport services in Saxony-Anhalt, we are aware of the special role we play in climate protection and, with this project, are pressing ahead unswervingly in the transition to lower-emission solutions,” Stephan Schreier, Managing Director, Operations at Abellio said.
The four companies agreed to conduct technical feasibility studies regarding the integration of hybrid drives developed by MTU, a Rolls-Royce brand, into Coradia Lint rail vehicles and their use on routes of Dieselnetz Saxony-Anhalt, a diesel-powered rail network in Germany. 
The companies intend to convert the entire fleet of 54 Coradia Lint vehicles. The hybrid drives combine a modern diesel engine with an electric motor and batteries to recover braking energy, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 25 percent. In addition, the ability to run under battery power only can reduce noise pollution in city areas and stations by 75 percent.
Abellio is due to commence passenger services on behalf of the state of Saxony-Anhalt in December 2018 on 16 non-electrified lines in Saxony-Anhalt using 54 Coradia Lint trains. The contract covering the conversion of the first three of these vehicles to MTU hybrid drives is planned to be signed by the end of 2018. The conversion programme is expected to take less than three years and will start operating in pilot mode to collect findings related to a normal daily use of a hybrid fleet.
The Coradia Lint, part of Alstom’s Coradia range of modular trains is, a fuel-efficient diesel multiple unit (DMU) that can reach operating speeds of up to 140 km/h.
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