THE Hague and Rotterdam area regional public transport authority (MRDH) has given approval to Rotterdam’s public transport operator (RET) to issue a tender for the purchase of 38 new metro trains, with an option for eight extra sets. The order has a value of €578m and includes the delivery of spare parts and staff training.
The new 100km/h trains will be 90m long and have open interiors and full-width gangways throughout. The first trains will be delivered in 2029 and enter service in 2030. All trains are to be delivered within three years.
The new trains must be ready for the installation of automatic train operation (ATO) equipment, as ATO could be introduced to the Rotterdam metro network when existing signalling and train protection systems are replaced after 2035.
Most of the new trains (29) will replace older class 5300 and 5400 vehicles, while the remaining nine will increase capacity on the existing network, notably on Line E, where service frequency will increase from every 10 minutes to every five minutes, in anticipation of an annual increase in ridership of 3% over the next few years. The option for eight extra metro sets is to meet potential ridership growth on Line C.
Introduction of the new trains will require modifications to the current metro depot at Waalhaven and MRDH has allocated €67m to lengthening sidings for the longer metro trains.
“Investment in the metro is an investment in living and working in the region,” says Martina Huijsmans, board member of MRDH. “It will contribute to the provision of better public transport that will connect workplaces with new housing areas.”
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