New S-Bahn vehicles: go.Rheinland and VRR commission train manufacturer ALSTOM with billion-euro project

Consultants from TÜV Rheinland InterTraffic played a key role in the S-Bahn concept for the Rheinland and the Ruhr regions. The technical expertise of TÜV Rheinland employees contributed significantly that go.Rheinland, together with its junior partner VRR, could tender for a vehicle concept, which will notably improve passenger comfort through numerous innovations in the train.

With new 150 and 170 metre long vehicles, the S-Bahn in the Rheinland is being made fit for the future. The new trains offer varied seating landscapes, state-of-the-art passenger information, WLAN, power sockets, air conditioning and toilets – unique for trains of this type. In addition, the new trains have: powerful air conditioning systems with environmentally friendly refrigerant for temperatures from -25 to 45°C, multi-purpose areas at each entrance with generous space for pushchairs and bicycles, wheelchair areas in each end carriage, gap bridging for level access at the first and last two doors of each train, digital hearing systems via Bluetooth for the hearing-impaired and mobile phone-permeable outer windows.

This billion-euro project will significantly change the face of local rail passenger transport in the region. Passengers will also enjoy increased capacity.

"We have commissioned a vehicle with a completely new design that is tailored to the special needs and requirements in our region. We are thus raising the S-Bahn fleet to a new level and are already looking forward to using the Alstom trains," says go.Rheinland Managing Director Michael Vogel.

VRR Board Spokesman Oliver Wittke adds: "With the deployment of the new S-Bahn vehicles, go.Rheinland and VRR are setting new standards in regional transport. The new trains will help us to offer passengers more quality and stable operation on the S-Bahn lines in the Rheinland. Passengers will benefit from flexible seating landscapes, the latest generation of customer information, toilets in the trains, free Wi-Fi and improved mobile phone reception. Together, we have once again succeeded in motivating vehicle manufacturers to design maintenance-friendly and energy-efficient vehicles."

The vehicles were tendered according to the NRW-RRX model (Rhine-Ruhr Express). In this model, the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the high availability and quality of the vehicles over their entire service life and also guarantees the energy consumption of the vehicles. TÜV Rheinland’s consultants have played a central role in the continuous development of the NRW-RRX model.

"The entire TÜV Rheinland InterTraffic project team is proud to have helped bring this challenging process to a very successful conclusion," explains Niklas Schüller, the responsible project manager at TÜV Rheinland. "The future generation of vehicles will make S-Bahn transport more user-friendly, economical and reliable and thus support the mobility transition  in the Rheinland. We would like to thank go.Rheinland and VRR for their trusting cooperation."

ALSTOM Transport Deutschland GmbH submitted the winning offer in the bidding process for a total of up to 90 new vehicles and will also be responsible for maintenance and ensuring the daily availability of the vehicles over the 30-year term. The first new S-Bahn trains are scheduled to go into trial operation from mid-2029. The aim is to gradually put all new vehicles on the rails by the 2033 timetable year.