Danske Statsbaner (DSB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) completed a 25-year lending agreement worth EUR 500 million for the acquisition of new electric trainsets to replace its ageing diesel-powered trains – the IC3 and IC4 models.
The financing will support the procurement of 100 new Coradia Stream trains and the first new trains are expected to enter operation in 2024. A EUR 2.6 billion framework agreement was signed with Alstom in June 2021 with a firm order worth EUR 1.4 billion. DSB is expecting to acquire 150 EMUs in the next four decades.
The five-car trains will provide 300 seats and will be equipped with Atlas onboard ETCS Baseline 3 and Specific Transmission Module (STM) interface to allow operation on country’s legacy signalling system.
With the new electric multiple units DSB will meet the anticipated future growth in passenger traffic and will deliver more services with better quality and reliability.
“The new electric trainsets will be the backbone of future public transport in Denmark and the investment is a significant contribution to the green transition of Danish society. It is very satisfactory for DSB that our initiatives and plans for more sustainable public transport are recognised and that we on that basis can attract financing from one of the most trustworthy lenders in the market,” Flemming Jensen, CEO of DSB said.
By replacing the diesel-powered trains with new EMUs, the lending agreement falls within the framework of DSB’s environmental policy and its strategic Fremtidens Tog – Nye Tog (Trains of the Future – New Trains) programme to future proof rail traffic in Denmark. The trains will primarily be used on the Danish core network, connecting Jutland with the Copenhagen region, while part of the rolling stock will also serve the Sjᴂlland region.
“We should not underestimate the importance and contribution of rail traffic to limiting the impact of climate change. The quality of services and comfort of trains are important factors in encouraging people to shift away from commuting by car to using public transport,” EIB Vice-President Christian Kettel Thomsen said.
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