Wiener Linien, the public transport operator in Vienna, ordered up to 45 driverless metro trains from Siemens. The vehicles will be assembled at Siemens’ plan in Simmering – Vienna, and the delivery will begin in 2020, and the final batch of trains should be put into commercial service in 2030. Under the contract there are included maintenance services that accounted 30% of the total value of the contract and will be performed by Wiener Linien staff.
Driverless operation will be introduced on Line 5 scheduled to be opened in 2023, bringing Vienna to a new technological era, as this will be the first underground line in Vienna with fully automated train systems.
The new trains will be fitted with air-conditioned and video-monitored systems. The new trains will increase the number of trains running on the Vienna underground line network and will be introduced on the new U5 line. They will also replace 24 of the old so-called Silberpfeil trains currently running on the U1 and U4, where there will, however, still be a driver in the cab. The new walk-through trains will be air-conditioned and equipped with CCTV and modern passenger information systems.
“We are getting a modern vehicle that matches the existing infrastructure and offers a very good price and performance ratio,” said Wiener Linien CEO Günter Steinbauer.
Within the tender, Siemens and Bombardier Transportation submitted their offers that could worth more than EUR 550 million, if the transport operator will include the option for other 11 metro trains.
Vienna is investing in its public transport system. This month, the city opened the 4.6 km extension of the U1 underground line, between Leopoldau and Oberlaa. Currently, this is Vienna’s longest underground line with a total length of 19.2 km.
The authorities plan to extend the underground lines U2 and to construct the U5. In 2018 there will be launched the construction works of the U2, from Vienna City Hall (Rathaus station), and for the first section of the U5 to Frankhplatz/Altes AKH. 11 new stations and 9 kilometres of new underground tracks will be built, of which 6 km for the U2 and 3 km for the U5.
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