On 22 August, Siemens Mobility and Wiener Linien presented at Simmering plant, in Vienna, the painted car body of the first X-Wagen metro car, which is city’s third metro generation supplied by the manufacturer.
The trains are designed for fully automatic operation as well as operation with a driver. They will be used fully automatically on the new Line U5, which is currently under construction, and with drivers on Lines U1 to U4.
The first pre-series train is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2020.
“The X cars are an important investment for climate-friendly mobility in Vienna. In fact, environmental protection really begins right in the production hall. The new metro trainsets are constructed with up to 90 percent recyclable materials,” Vienna’s City Councilor for Public Transport, Ulli Sima, said.
The air-conditioned interior of the trains will be accessible end-to-end and have a bright and pleasing design. Spacious and comfortable multifunction areas will offer plenty of space, particularly for passengers with strollers or extra luggage. Retractable gap bridges at each of the 18 doors on both sides of the train will provide barrier-free access for passengers with restricted mobility. The 111-meter train can carry up to 928 passengers.
The new metro trains will be equipped with Siemens Mobility’s innovative digitalized passenger information system “Plus” (FIS+), which was also developed in Vienna and will first be used in the city. Information displays located above each door show in real time, before arrival at the next station, the train’s planned platform position and a guide to other connections. With this information, passengers already know before arriving at the station where they must go to get to their destination, and passenger flows on the platform are optimized.
Special lightweight construction elements in the bodies and bogies significantly reduce the X car’s weight and make it particularly light for its class. Electrodynamic braking to a standstill substantially reduces mechanical wear on the brakes and lowers maintenance costs. Low-maintenance, energy-saving LEDs are used for interior and exterior lighting.
In 2017, Wiener Linien awarded Siemens the contract for the delivery of 34 six-car fully automatic metro trains and the provision of full maintenance services for 24 years. Under the contract, Wiener Linien has an option for eleven additional trains.
In March 2018, the two companies presented the design of the next generation of metro trains.
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