Today (Tuesday 19 September), all 106 trains in the new Berlin S-Bahn fleet are in service for the first time.
The trains are equipped with air conditioning, passenger information systems and security cameras, facilities which manufacturer Siemens claim “offer passengers a new level of comfort and convenience”. The new fleet increases the capacity of parts of Berlin's S-Bahn network.
The trains have more cars than those they replaced, and between them have around eighteen thousand seats. The longer trains operate on the Ring lines S41/S42 as well as the S8 line, and the S8 line now runs to Wildau during peak hours.
The new trains have been steadily brought into service since the start of 2021..
The delivery of the final train was marked with a ceremony attended by politicians, business representatives, and officials from the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) and the Berlin S-Bahn. The ceremony took place at Charlottenburg S-Bahn station.
Berlin and Brandenburg states have financed the purchase of the trains, which were built by a consortium of Stadler and Siemens.
The 483/484 series trains are part of the transport contract for the Ring subnetwork. At the same time, S-Bahn Berlin is continuing to implement its “BR 481 longevity program”. More than three hundred of the five hundred trains in the 481 series (built between 1996 and 2004) have already been rebuilt.
The Berlin S-Bahn carries around 1.4 million every day, on sixteen lines in the capital and the state of Brandenburg. The name ‘S-Bahn' is an abbreviation of the German word Stadtschnellbahn (‘city rapid railway') and came into use in December 1930 in Berlin.
Manja Schreiner, Berlin Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment, said,“Completion of the new fleet of trains on the Ring line marks a significant step forward for the S-Bahn service and the entire Berlin public transport system. This progress can be directly experienced by passengers every day: the longer trains offer more seats; air conditioning and the state-of-the-art passenger information system enhance comfort and convenience. The expanded and improved service can make switching to rail an interesting option for many. We will continue to pursue this course of offering attractive services to win over more and more people.”
Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and State Planning of the State of Brandenburg, added, “The S-Bahn is a vital link between Brandenburg and Berlin, especially for the many commuters. I am therefore delighted that the new fleet of trains is now complete. By providing significantly more space on board and many technical innovations, we are making climate-friendly public transport even more attractive. This is how the transport transition works.”
S-Bahn CEO Peter Buchner, said, “We have received very positive responses to the new air-conditioned, quiet and comfortable trains – from our passengers as well as our employees. The new trains have already covered around 17 million kilometers in service.”
Ute Bonde, Managing Director of Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, said, “We are especially pleased that the new trains have been delivered on time despite the difficult conditions and are now all in service. For passengers, this means benefiting from more space and greater comfort and convenience on the Ring line and on the S46, S47, and S8 lines. Looking to the tasks ahead, we welcome the fact that S-Bahn Berlin GmbH is strongly committed to continuing its longevity program for the older 481 series trains. It is important to keep this main part of the S-Bahn fleet fully upgraded for operations until it is replaced by further new trains.”
Jure Mikolčić, CEO Stadler Germany, commented, “Our employees worked on the project in various phases for nearly ten years. The collaboration with our consortium partner Siemens and S-Bahn Berlin was very good throughout the entire project. We are especially proud that we were able to manufacture the new S-Bahn trains for Berlin at our location here in Berlin.”
Elmar Zeiler, Head of Commuter and Regional Trains, Siemens Mobility, added, “As a company with Berlin roots, we are particularly proud to be contributing to a sustainable improvement in passenger experience and comfort on the Berlin S-Bahn. The trains of the new 483/484 series not only stand out with their reliability, greater seating capacity and air conditioning, but also with their modern, energy-efficient drive technology.”
