STADLER has been awarded a contract by the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) to supply extra cars for Flirt 3XL EMUs operating on the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn network in northwestern Germany. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
Additional intermediate cars will be supplied to extend seven three-car trains to five cars in length. Stadler says that engineering work is already underway on the conversion project, which is due for completion between 2027 and 2029.
The additional cars will increase seating capacity per train from 180 to 296 seats, with the five-car Flirt 3XL trains specifically designed for S-Bahn services having 10 doors per side. The 106m-long trains will have a maximum speed of 160km/h and a maximum power output of 3MW.
The project will enable all services on Sub-Network 1 of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn to be operated with five-car trains. Sub-Network 1 includes the following lines:
- S2: Dortmund - Herne - Essen/Recklinghausen
- S3: Oberhausen - Mülheim - Essen - Hattingen, and
- S9: Haltern am See - Bottrop - Essen - Wuppertal - Hagen.
Sub-Network 1 also includes regional lines RB32, RB40, RE41 and RE49, with a service frequency similar to S-Bahn lines and a similar stopping pattern.
“The extension of the Flirt trains is an important step to meet the growing demand for public transport and the increasing number of passengers,” says VRR board spokesperson, Oliver Wittke. “By expanding from three to five-car trains, we are creating 64% more seats.”
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