The state of Baden-Württemberg has ordered three additional Mireo Plus B trains from Siemens Mobility, as part of an option of the contract signed in 2020. Siemens Mobility will additionally take over maintenance of the trains over their entire service life.
The battery-electric trains (BEMU) will be delivered in 2023 when they will enter passenger services on the new Hermann-Hesse-Bahn between Renningen and Calw.
The trains are equipped for ETCS Level 2 operation, offering more track capacity, greater punctuality as well as interoperability in cross-border rail traffic.
On May 10, 2021, during an association meeting, it was decided to acquire battery-electric trains for Hermann-Hesse-Bahn, as part of the commitment to reduce the emission through the introduction of emission-free vehicles. The vehicles are procured by the State Railway Authority of Baden-Württemberg (SFBW).
“We always wanted to be able to offer locally emission-free transport on the Hermann-Hesse – Bahn. Thanks to synergies with the Ortenau S-Bahn, we can achieve this right from the start of operations, even without transition technology,” Helmut Riegger, the District Administrator of Calw said after the meeting.
The two-car electric trainsets with 120 seats can travel on rail routes with or without overhead power lines thanks to their battery hybrid drive and they have a range of 80 km in battery operation. The charging takes place on the rail section between Weil der Stadt and Renningen from the overhead line. On the Weil der Stadt – Calw section, the train will travel completely using battery power.
According to the plans, a charging facility will be established in Calw in the event of night-time shutdown. The operation of the Hermann-Hesse-Bahn is to be included in the state’s existing transport contract with the Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-AG (SWEG) which in the future will also use Mireo Plus B trains on the Ortenau S-Bahn network. This also ensures the maintenance of the vehicles for the Hermann-Hesse-Bahn.
In March 2020, Siemens Mobility was awarded the first contract for the delivery of 20 Mireo Plus B trains expected to enter passenger operation from December 2023 on the Ortenau rail network. KfW IPEX-Bank is providing a EUR 77 million financing for the acquisition of the BEMUs for the Baden-Württemberg public transport company (NVBW).
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