GERMANY: Stadler is to supply 36 customised Flirt XL electric multiple-units for three Rhein-Ruhr passenger services which VIAS Rail is to operate under a contract awarded by transport authority VRR.
The S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr sub-network D contract awarded following a competitive tender will see VIAS take over services S5 (Dortmund – Witten – Hagen) and S8 (Mönchengladbach – Neuss – Düsseldorf – Erkrath – Wuppertal – Gevelsberg – Hagen) from December 2029, and continue to operate RE41 (Bochum – Recklinghausen – Haltern am See) beyond the end of its current contract in December 2030. The three services total 3·8 million train-km/year.
The three-car EMUs will be financed and owned by VRR, and operated, serviced and maintained by VIAS.
The trains will be 70 m long with 180 seats, offering more capacity that the current stock and making optimal use of existing platform lengths. Stadler said they will offer a high level of comfort and accessibility, with six extra-wide doors on each side and spacious boarding areas for rapid passenger flows. There will be a toilet, and space for wheelchair users, bicycles, pushchairs and luggage.
‘The vehicles combine innovative technology with a well-thought-out design and meet the highest standards of comfort and efficiency’, said Jure Mikolčić, CEO of Stadler Germany, when the order was confirmed on October 1.
- VRR and Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe have selected WestfalenBahn to operate RE34 Dortmund-Siegerland-Express services totalling 1·75 million train-km/year for 14 years form the end of 2026, succeeding DB Regio. Five-car Stadler Flirt 3 EMUs will be used from December 2027. NWL, VRR and the Dutch province of Overijssel have awarded incumbent DB Regio a contract to continue to operate RB 51 Westmünsterland-Bahn services between Dortmund and Enschede using Bombardier Talent DMUs for six years from December 2026.
