The German transport authorities in the North Rhine-Westphalia state, ZV VRR (Zweckverband Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr) and NWL (Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen Lippe), selected CAF to deliver 60 battery-powered trains, and to provide maintenance services for the fleet for a term of 30 years.
The two operators said that within the Europe-wide tendering process, CAF submitted the most economical offer in terms of delivery, maintenance, and energy consumption over the life cycle.
The Civity BEMU trains will be supplied in two sizes, each with 120 or 160 seats, which enables significant capacity increases on many rail lines of the Niederrhein-Münsterland network. The battery-electric vehicles will run on the non-electrified lines and will also be able to recharge the batteries under the overhead line.
When procuring the trains, VRR and NWL focused on quality issue to deliver passengers increased comfort. The vehicles have generous entry areas, comfortable and greater seat place compared to the existing trains, and they are arranged in rows and in face-to-face seating groups. They also provide spacious separated multi-purpose areas for wheelchair users, bicycles and prams. The trains are equipped with sockets and free Wi-Fi.
With the use of the electric vehicles, the share of diesel kilometers in local rail passenger transport in the VRR area will drop to less than 10 percent. “If we were to use diesel vehicles again on the network, they would emit around 24,000 tonnes of CO 2 per year. The new battery-electric trains are not only quieter, but they also do not emit any fine dust or nitrogen oxides,” Ronald R.F. Lünser the Board of Management Spokesman said.
“This brings us closer to our goal of gradually replacing the diesel vehicles in the NWL area in the coming years,” Joachim Künzel, the managing director of the NWL said.
These trains will boast cutting edge rail technology as they are battery-powered trains which can run on catenary-free tracks. This is also the largest contract in the world to date involving this type of technology.
The Niederrhein-Münsterland rail network comprises seven lines with over six million train kilometers per year. On the RE 44, RB 31 and RB 36 lines, the trains will operate in December 2025 and on the other four lines will enter passenger operation from December 2028 onwards.
The trains will enter service on the following lines:
- RE 10 Kleve – Geldern – Krefeld – Düsseldorf
- RE 14 Essen – Bottrop – Dorsten – Borken / Coesfeld
- RE 44 Kamp-Lintfort – Moers – Duisburg – Oberhausen – Bottrop
- RB 31 Xanten – Moers – Duisburg
- RB 36 Oberhausen – Duisburg-Ruhrort
- RB 41 Geldern – Krefeld – Neuss
- RB 43 Dortmund – Herne – Dorsten
With the award of the train contract, the two companies will also focus on the modernisation of the infrastructure, including the interlocking system, the extension and elevation of the platforms and the renewal of parking facilities.
With this contract, CAF is expanding its presence on German market. Recently, the Spanish rolling stock manufacturer won two contracts to deliver 59 trams to Ruhrbahn and VAG Freiburg.
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