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Alstom to Provide Additional 64 Commuter Trains to Hamburg, Germany

September 12, 2021 /

Alstom and S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH have signed a contract for the delivery of an additional 64 Class 490 S-Bahn trains. The order is an option from a framework contract signed in 2013 and is valued at around 500 million euro. 

As with the previous trains, passengers will enjoy the proven amenities of these three-car electric multiple units, but with the addition of some new improvements to better meet the needs of Hamburg’s passengers. For example, the new S-Bahn train’s middle cars will feature a multipurpose area with room for bicycles, luggage, and dedicated spaces to accommodate passengers with limited mobility.

However, the train’s most significant innovation will be invisible to passengers. For the first time in Germany, S-Bahn trains will be equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 Release 2 and automated train operation (ATO) technology. Together, these technologies will ensure denser and more frequent service and enable Hamburg to provide more fluid transport while increasing the overall number of train journeys. In addition, the flexibility of Hamburg’s new S-Bahn trains means that they will couple with the 82 Class 490 S-Bahn trains already in service.

Photo of main Hamberg train station from author’s visit in 2016.

This order marks Germany’s first implementation of ATO in automation level 2 (GoA 2) for new S-Bahn vehicles. In addition, S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH will receive vehicles that already comply with the latest state-of-the-art signalling technology. The trains will be delivered with Alstom’s intelligent onboard technology for ETCS, with integrated ATO software that meets the high demands of future digital rail operations in terms of performance, availability, and automation.

Initially, Alstom will manufacture three vehicles that will undergo extensive testing and inspection, in particular for approval of their ETCS and ATO functionalities. Vehicle deliveries to Hamburg are scheduled for 2025 and 2026. 

Among others, Alstom’s sites in Hennigsdorf, Bautzen (production), Berlin (signalling), Braunschweig, Siegen and Mannheim, Germany, will be involved in the production of the new S-Bahn trains. This is in addition to sites in Charleroi, Belgium (ETCS), Wroclaw, Poland, Västeras, Sweden and Vadodara, India, which will also participate in production.

In Germany, Alstom offers innovative solutions for sustainable mobility and is one of the leading suppliers of railway technology with metros, suburban trains, trams, regional trains, locomotives and signalling solutions. Our trains travel from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria. More than 70% of high-speed trains running in Germany are equipped with Alstom’s ETCS signalling solutions. In Lower Saxony, Alstom is building the world’s first fuel cell-powered, completely emission-free Cordia iLint regional train in series production. Alstom is Germany’s only manufacturer of infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions to provide maintenance, service and modernisation of all mass transit trains for all manufacturers’ series, as well as information systems.

SBB Swiss Rail to Offer Customers with Bicycles More Space and Reliability

February 26, 2021 /

SBB is improving its services for travelling with bicycles for the 2021 cycling season. It is taking this step in response to strong demand and to insufficient capacity last summer. On key leisure travel lines (Bern to Brig, Zurich to Chur) SBB is tripling capacity at times of high demand from 21 March. SBB will offer customers with bicycles more reliable journey planning: thanks to reservations, passengers taking along bikes can be sure that they will find space for them on trains. The price of bicycle reservations is reduced from CHF 5 to CHF 2. SBB presented the improved services to cycling, consumer and industry organisations today and outlined future prospects for traveling with bikes.

There has been a sharp increase in demand for travelling with bikes and holidays in Switzerland due to the coronavirus crisis. In some cases this has led to capacity shortages and dissatisfied customers who were unable to travel with their bike on the train they had planned to use. Around 80,000 Bike Day Passes were sold in the peak month of July 2020, for example, which is up by around 45% compared to the previous year. SBB also transported up to 15,000 bikes with self-service loading on the main axes of Zurich to Chur and Bern to Brig.

SBB expects demand for travel with bikes to continue to rise and is responding to this trend. This is why – together with Pro Velo and the Swiss Transport and Environment Association – it engaged in broad-based dialogue with cycling stakeholders as well as consumer and industry organisations on the issue of ‘sustainable travel with bicycles’. The aim is to offer customers reliable journey planning and reservations, to further improve and simplify services and to make them even more customer-friendly. SBB has a duty of responsibility towards all customers and wishes to provide services that meet and take account of the needs of all passengers as far as possible – including, for example, people with disabilities or families.

In view of the forthcoming cycling season, which begins on 21 March, SBB has introduced various changes to make travelling with bikes easier:

SBB is increasing capacity for the self-service loading of bicycles at times of high demand on the key leisure travel lines, tripling capacity compared to the current levels where possible. These routes include Bern to Brig and Zurich to Chur. Additional capacity will also be provided on routes to Ticino, Interlaken and the southern foot of the Jura. Passengers will be assisted with the loading of bicycles by SBB staff on these lines where possible.

In order to expand capacity medium and long-term, SBB is currently assessing which technical measures can be implemented long-term to create additional bicycle spaces on various types of train. Only minor modifications to rolling stock are possible in the short term.

Customers with bicycles need to be able to plan their journey reliably and safely. SBB makes this possible on all Swiss InterCity trains with a reservation costing CHF 2. Passengers who made a reservation can be certain that they will find space for their bike on the trains. Trains are labelled with the well-known bicycle symbol in the online timetable. Bikes can only be transported using self-service loading on trains labelled with this symbol if a reservation has been made and a valid bike ticket is presented. Reservations can be made up until shortly before departure in the SBB Mobile app. They can also be purchased at the counter or several days in advance via the SBB Contact Center

(tel. 0848 44 66 88)

The price for reservations will be reduced from CHF 5 to CHF 2 for a continuous connection – for example for a route with more than one section. International trains within Switzerland can now also be used for bike transport with a reservation, but prices and booking options may differ. Bikes can be transported with a valid bicycle ticket but without a reservation on regional services (R, S, RE trains) as well as on InterRegio trains (IR).

Alstom to Deliver 19 Electric Regional Trains in Germany

November 14, 2019 /

Alstom will deliver 19 Coradia Continental electric regional trains to the state of Baden-Württemberg. The contract, signed with DB Regio, is worth approximately €120 million. The trains will be built at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter.

Beginning in December 2022, the new trains will be gradually deployed on the routes from Karlsruhe to Heilbronn, Achern, as well as via Freudenstadt to Herrenberg.

The new trains have been designed to optimise passenger experience while meeting the region’s operational requirements. In addition to high-performance WiFi, they will include spacious multi-purpose areas in each car and a large capacity for bicycles. The trains are specifically designed to cope with the steep gradients that punctuate the tracks running through the Black Forest.

“Passengers in the Karlsruhe region can look forward to modern, proven and reliable trains. Our trains not only satisfy passengers, but are also known for outstanding reliability and availability, thus offering absolute planning security for operators,” says Jörg Nikutta, Managing Director of Alstom in Germany and Austria.

The Coradia Continental is part of Alstom’s Coradia range of modular trains that benefits from more than 30 years of know-how. To date, over 2,800 Coradia trains have been sold and 2,400 are currently in service in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada.

The new vehicles will be procured by DB Regio AG on behalf of the Ministry of Transport of the state of Baden-Württemberg as the responsible public transport authority for this network. After delivery of the vehicles, they become the property of the Landesanstalt Schienenfahrzeuge Baden-Württemberg (SFBW) and are leased by DB Regio for the term of the 13-year transport contract.

Alstom to Supply 39 Additional Coradia Polyvalent Trains to the Grand Est Region

October 23, 2019 /
  • contract worth over 360 million euros in France

22 October 2019 – Alstom will supply 39 additional Coradia Polyvalent trains to the Grand Est region for the sum of approximately 360 million euros[1]. The region had already ordered 40 Coradia Polyvalent trains, of which 36 have already been delivered. Deliveries of these new trains will be staggered between 2022 and 2024.

Firstly, this new order covers 30 trains intended for cross-border circulation in Germany. These 4-car trains, which are dual mode – dual voltage 25 kV / 15 kV and comply with German safety requirements, will run at 160 km/h, serving the German states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. The 30 Coradia Polyvalent cross-border trains will offer a first-class zone and an area for bicycles, and will incorporate the new TSI PRM[2] 2014 standard, notably offering more spacious toilets to facilitate movement for passengers with reduced mobility. The first cross-border trains will be delivered at the end of 2023.

Secondly, nine additional Coradia Polyvalent trains, consisting of five 4-car and four 6-car trains, have been added to the existing fleet for domestic connections. These new trains will benefit from the same special features as those already in operation in the Grand Est region. 

“Alstom is proud of this new sign of trust from the Grand Est region. The expertise and innovation capacities of our French teams are mobilised to support the region in developing cross-border mobility. This order also contributes to the activity of Alstom’s Reichshoffen site,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom in France.

Coradia Polyvalent belongs to Alstom’s Coradia range of trains. With its modular architecture, it can be adapted to the requirements of each public transport authority as well as to different types of use: suburban, regional and intercity. It comes in three lengths (56, 72 or 110 metres) and offers optimal comfort to passengers, whatever the length of the journey. The train is both ecological and economical due to its low energy consumption, its compliance with the latest emissions standards in thermal mode and its reduced maintenance costs. Coradia Polyvalent is the first French regional train to comply with all European standards, in particular with regard to access for people with reduced mobility.

To date, 387 Coradia Polyvalent trains have been ordered as part of the contract awarded to Alstom by SNCF in October 2009, including 320 Coradia Polyvalent for Régiolis by 9 French regions and 67 Coradia Liner by the French state, the authority responsible for the country’s TET (intercity) trains. Régiolis has already covered nearly 85 million kilometres in commercial service.

The Coradia Polyvalent train also meets the needs of the export market: 17 trains have been ordered by SNTF (Algeria) and 15 trains by APIX (Senegal). 

This is Coradia Polyvalent’s second cross-border application as the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has ordered 17 Léman Express Coradia Polyvalent trains, to be commissioned on the CEVA cross-border line between France and Switzerland in mid-December 2019.

The manufacturing of Coradia Polyvalent secures more than 4,000 jobs in France for Alstom and its suppliers. Six of Alstom’s 12 sites in France are involved in the project: Reichshoffen for the design and assembly, Ornans for the engines, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chains, Villeurbanne for the on-board electronics and signalling products, and Saint-Ouen for the design.

[1] Booked in the second quarter of the current fiscal year

[2] Technical Specifications for Interoperability relating to Persons with Reduced Mobility

Alstom Delivers First Coradia Polyvalent Regional Train

August 28, 2019 /

27 August 2019 – Alstom has delivered the first five Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains for the cross-border CEVA[1] line to the SNCF Technicentre in Annemasse. Five trains will now be delivered each month until the end of November, with entry into commercial service scheduled for 15 December 2019. Since mid-August, Alstom’s teams have been supporting SNCF in training drivers for these new trains.

A total of 17 trains from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent range have been ordered[2] by SNCF, financed entirely by the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, to run on the Léman Express, Europe’s largest cross-border rail network (45 stations, 230 km). The Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains contribute to providing a sustainable alternative to the car for the daily commutes of Greater Geneva’s residents, as well as a better service to the economic and tourist hubs of the entire region. Today, just 16% of the 550,000 daily cross-border trips are made on public transport.

The Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains belong to Alstom’s Coradia range, of which 348 trains have been sold to 9 French regions[3] as part of the contract awarded to Alstom by SNCF in October 2009. The fleet has already covered more than 50 million kilometres in commercial service. 

The trains have been adapted to the specific characteristics of the Franco-Swiss cross-border CEVA line: configured in their suburban version, each 72-metre train can carry up to 204 seated passengers at speeds of up to 140 km/h, in accordance with Swiss certification. Designed to ensure cross-border connections with ERTMS technology[4], Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains can run on several types of network voltages[5].

To optimise the fluidity of passenger exchanges and reduce stopping time in stations, the Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains are equipped with a full low floor, seven doors on each side, all with bridge plates, and a large reception area on the platforms. Coradia Polyvalent is the first train to comply with the PRM-TSI standard[6]. The interior offers increased comfort thanks to the seats equipped with individual reading lights and electrical sockets and the spaces dedicated to bicycles and luggage. Large windows and reduced noise levels also improve the quality of the journey.

The manufacturing of Coradia Polyvalent involves more than 4,000 jobs in France at Alstom and its suppliers. Six of Alstom’s 13 sites in France are involved in the project: Reichshoffen for the design and assembly, Ornans for the engines, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chains, Villeurbanne for the on-board computerised systems and signalling products, and Saint-Ouen for the design.

[1] Cornavin – Eaux-Vives – Annemasse line

[2] Option exercised in July 2015 for the sum of 160 million euros

[3] Including 10 additional Léman Express trains for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in July 2019 (approximately 70 million euros)

[4] European rail interoperability standard

[5] 25 kV, 1500 V and 15kV for Germany and Switzerland

[6] Technical specifications for interoperability relating to persons with reduced mobility

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