GERMANY: The first of 26 Desiro HC partly double-deck electric multiple-units ordered for use on Franken-Thüringen-Express services has been unveiled by Bayern railway agency BEG, train operator DB Regio Bayern and manufacturer Siemens Mobility.
The Länder of Bayern and Thüringen have awarded the DB subsidiary a contract to operate the services for 12 years from the December 2023 timetable change, and are investing a total of €320m in the new fleet.
| Franken-Thüringen-Express Desiro HC EMUs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class | 1462 | 4462 |
| Cars | 4 | 6 |
| Seats first | 20 | 34 |
| standard | 307 | 513 |
| folding | 53 | 87 |
| Wheelchair spaces | 2 | 2 |
| Cycle spaces | 36 | 60 |
| Toilets | 3 | 5 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 160 | 190 |
The EMUs are to be introduced in two phases, starting in December with 18 four-car units which are to be used on Nürnberg – Bamberg – Würzburg/Saalfeld and Bamberg – Kronach services.
The second stage will follow in June 2024, with eight six-car units to be deployed on Nürnberg – Bamberg – Coburg –Sonneberg/Erfurt regional express services via the Nürnberg – Erfurt high speed line. These sets will have a higher maximum speed of 190 km/h, making them some of the fastest regional trains in Germany.
Siemens Mobility said the two-stage commissioning process was required because of the complexity of developing new trains for use on the high speed line.
‘Passengers can look forward not only to more comfortable new trains, but also to a big improvement in services’, said Bärbel Fuchs, Managing Director of BEG.
’On most of the lines, the regional trains will run more frequently than at present. For example, we have ordered and financed 20% more regional express trains in order to provide daily half-hourly services between Bamberg, Erlangen and Nürnberg when the new timetable takes effect. And two trains will run every hour between Bamberg and Kronach in the future, providing half-hourly connections for most stations on this route as well.
‘As of June 2024, we will connect Coburg with Bamberg and Nürnberg on an hourly basis via the high speed line. The new trains will also provide extremely fast connections five times a day to Erfurt, where there are interesting connections to many parts of eastern and northern Germany’, she added.
| Franken-Thüringen-Express services from December 2023 |
|---|
| RE14 Nürnberg – Bamberg – Lichtenfels – Saalfeld |
| RE19 Nürnberg – Bamberg – Coburg – Sonneberg |
| RE20 Nürnberg – Bamberg – Schweinfurt – Würzburg |
| RB25 Bamberg – Lichtenfels – Kronach |
| RE28 Nürnberg – Bamberg – Lichtenfels – Coburg (-Sonneberg) |
