New trains for Berlin's S-Bahn

Premiere on New Year’s Eve: First new S-Bahn Berlin train starts passenger service

Series 483/484now running on S47–Ten pre-series trains beginservice in January –More comfort and space for passengers.

The New Year is startingoffwith a premiere!Shortly after midnight on January 1, the first train of the new series 483/484 S-Bahn will startpassenger service in Berlin.

Residents of Berlinand Brandenburg can now look forward to brand new trains providingmore space, large panoramic windows, air conditioning, security cameras in all cars, direct voice connections with the securitycenter, fingertip serviceaccessfor wheelchair users, and modern passenger information displays

The premieretrain (serial numbers 484-001 and 483-001) with six cars will roll out ofthe Schöneweide station onNew Year’s Eve. A paired male and female team of drivers will operate the new S-Bahn train on line S47 to Spindlersfeld. During the day, two more new trains will supplement service on the route between Spindlersfeld and Hermannstrasse.

S-BahnCEOPeter Buchner: “Our passengers can look forward to a completely new travel experience -a gliding on rails. These are the most comfortable trains in the long history of the Berlin S-Bahn. Together with Siemens and Stadler, we have been working towards this moment for five years -we closely accompanied the production, testing and acceptance of the trains and prepared ourselves intensively, including training train drivers and employees in the Grünau workshop on the new trains."

A total often pre-series trains will enter passenger servicebeginning with the New Year. These trains will provide a streamof further dataand experience that can flow into the series production, which has already begun. The new trains will operate on theRingbahn system based on thenew transport contract with the states of Berlin and Brandenburg that takes effect on January 1, 2021.S-BahnBerlin has ordered a total of 382 cars (21 two-car and 85 four-car units) from the manufacturingconsortium of Stadler and Siemens that are to be delivered by the end of 2023. In addition to operating on the S47 line, the new trains will also be used on theS46, S8 and S41/S42 lines.

Regine Günther, Senator for Environment, Transport and Climate Protection: "With the new generation of S-Bahn trains, comfort, reliability and performance are significantly increased. S-Bahn travel will become more attractive and even more barrier-free. More modern S-Bahn carriageswill follow in the coming years and makeit easier for
passengers to switch to public transport. This will accelerate climate protection and the change in modes of transportation.

Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Planning for the State of Brandenburg: "The brand-new S-Bahn trains are good news for commuters in the capital region. The new series adds additional vehicles to the S-Bahn fleet as well as are creating more transport capacity. The customer will notice it. The trains are modern, more comfortable and safer. This also shows how a participation of customers and associations in the development process of the vehicles can be implemented successfully."

Susanne Henckel, CEO,Verkehrsverbunds Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB): "The new S-Bahn will not only enrich Berlin in terms of transport, but will also bring much better quality, especially for passengers. Especially now in times of crisis, it is important to set an example. With more space, safety and punctuality, the new S-Bahn will make public transport in the VBB region more attractive and better. This makes it easier to switchfrom the car and also helps the important and necessary change in transport. Congratulations to the Siemens / Stadler manufacturing team and of course to the entire S-Bahn team around Peter Buchner!

The new trains successfully passed a two-year test phase that included the following milestones:

From the fall of 2018 to spring 2020, the trains were extensively tested atthe world’s largest test center for rail vehicles, the Siemens Mobility Test and Validation Center (PCW) in Wegberg-Wildenrath, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. These tests included, for example, measurements and type tests for derailment safety, brake tests to measure braking distances, and tests for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

A four-car train underwent a 12-weekclimate testingprogram in Vienna, Austria, beginning in the fall of 2019. In the Rail Tec Arsenal (RTA), the world’s longest climatic wind tunnel, extreme temperature and weather conditions were generated at the push of a button. The train and passengers were subjected to realistic simulationsat temperatures ranging from-25 degrees Centigradewith ice and snow to+45 degrees Centigrade and blazing sunshine. In these extreme tests, it was possible to check whether the pantographs worked even in heavy snowfalls and icingconditions, if the doors functioned reliably, and the retractable steps operated flawlessly.

The pre-series trains have been tested thoroughly in the S-Bahn Berlin network sinceSeptember 2019, completing around 150,000 test kilometers and operatingon every part of the 340-kilometer system. During these runs, extensive tests were carried out on various components, the train’s driving characteristics, brake
passenger doors, heating and air conditioning systems, windshield wipers, lighting, train control systems and much more.

During these months of testing, 114 train drivers were also trained to operate the new series, since the trainsusefar more advanced technology than the system’s older units.

Full approval for using the trains for passenger transport was granted by the Federal Railway Authority in October 2020.

Albrecht Neumann, CEO of Rolling Stock, Siemens Mobility: “Siemens Mobility and Stadler are both deeply rooted in Berlin, and together we have designed and built a train for S-Bahn Berlin that will operate with the highest reliability for decades and havetop technologies. The new trains combine cutting-edge technology and robust redundancy-assured quality with improved passenger experience and greater comfort for Berliners.

Jure Mikolčić, CEO of Stadler Germany: “With the new S-Bahn trains, Stadler and Siemens are delivering ultra-modern “Made in Berlin” units that are precisely tailored to the requirements of S-Bahn Berlin and its passengers. The first-time use of air conditioning systems, improved options for storing luggage and packages, and a significantly quieter ride make traveling in the trains more comfortable and convenient. And thanks to their redundant traction system, the trains are far more robust and reliable.”

www.mobility.siemens.com

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