Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) and go.Rheinland (the regional rail passenger transport authority for the Cologne/Bonn/Aachen region) obtained massive financing for the purchase of 90 new trains for Rhineland S-Bahn network connecting the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.
VRR says that go.Rheinland, as the lead tenderer for the procurement of the new vehicles, has been awarded different financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), NRW.Bank, KfW IPEX-Bank and BayernLB.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing EUR 1 billion in loans for the purchase of the new trains, while KfW IPEX-Bank is supporting the modernisation of local rail passenger transport with EUR 400 million and NRW.Bank with EUR 350 million.
“We are delighted to be able to support our customers go.Rheinland and VRR in this billion-euro investment, which will advance decarbonisation in the transport sector by strengthening public transport and making it more attractive in my old home region of the Rhineland,” said Andreas Ufer, Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank.
“The decisive basis for the attractiveness and thus the use of public transport are modern and well-equipped vehicles, such as those that go.Rheinland and the VRR have now ordered for the S-Bahn in the Rhineland. As a development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), we are happy to participate in financing the new trains in order to make mobility in the state more sustainable,” Gabriela Pantring, the Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of Management of NRW.Bank said.
The lead special-purpose association go.Rheinland together with junior partner Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR), will purchase the new S-Bahn trains and make them available for use by the railway companies. This structure facilitates competition between several railway companies in the region, with the special-purpose association providing the trains that it owns for use.
The new trains for Rhineland S-Bahn network will be manufactured by Alstom, under a EUR 4 billion framework agreement signed in July 2024. The first Adessia Stream commuter trains are set to begin trials from 2029, with remaining units delivered by 2033 to replace the old S-Bahn trainsets.
“We are happy to support the modernisation of regional transport in the Rhineland. At the EIB, we want to make public transport a more appealing climate-friendly alternative to cars. We need modern and comfortable S-Bahn trains for commuters and travellers to make this switch from road to rail as easy as possible,” said EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer.
The new trains will provide increased access for passengers with reduced mobility delivering special places for wheelchair users in the first and the last carriage. The trains will be equipped with modern passenger information system, WiFi and power sockets and air conditioning system which provides passengers comfortable environment in all weather conditions, from -25 to 45°C.
Depending on the routes to operate, the trains will integrate nine railcars with a total length of 150 metres and a capacity of 1,150 passengers and the 170 metres long 11-car version (the longest version) will have a capacity for 1,340 passengers.
“The Rhineland S-Bahn is about to enter a new era. Following the successful manufacturing contract award, we now have the necessary financial coverage. We look forward to working with the EIB and other major financing institutions to provide a state-of-the-art service to our passengers, who will start to see the new trains during trials in 2029,” go.Rheinland GmbH CEO Michael Vogel said.
The Rhineland region surrounding the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas of Germany. Until now, the large numbers of commuters in the region have had to choose between traffic jams and overcrowded regional and suburban trains. The project with the EIB is part of the expansion of the Cologne rail hub covered by Germany’s Federal Transport Plan.
“go.Rheinland and VRR are setting new standards in regional transport with these new S-Bahn trains. They will help us to provide Rhineland S-Bahn passengers with better service and stable operations. Passengers will benefit from flexible seating, the latest generation of customer information provision, onboard toilets, free WiFi and improved mobile phone reception. We have once again succeeded in encouraging train manufacturers to build maintenance-friendly and energy-efficient units,” VRR CEO Oliver Wittke said.
The new trains will enter operation gradually on the following routes:
- Line S 6 (Essen – Düsseldorf – Cologne-Worringen);
- Line S 11 (Düsseldorf Airport – Cologne – Bergisch Gladbach);
- Line S 12 (Horrem/Sindorf – Au (Sieg));
- Line S 19 (Aachen/Düren – Au (Sieg));
- Line S 68 (Langenfeld – Düsseldorf – Wuppertal-Vohwinkel);
- The future line S 10 (Cologne-Nippes – Cologne-Dellbrück);
- The future Line S 13 (Troisdorf – Bonn-Oberkassel);
- The future Line S 38 (formerly RB 38, Bedburg – Horrem – Cologne Messe/Deutz);
For the 2032 timetable year, around 14.2 million train kilometers are planned for the Rhineland S-Bahn network. In the long term, 20.1 million train kilometers per year are planned but the infrastructure still needs to be modernised and completed at various points in the Cologne rail hub.
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