Deutsche Bahn
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Since the end of 2020, 17 seven-car ICE 4 trains have been added to our ICE fleet. The ICE 4 promises maximum comfort during travel, features innovative technology and has exceptional energy efficiency. The seven-car ICE 4 variant is mainly used as a coupled double unit between Cologne/Düsseldorf and Berlin, thus expanding the seating capacity on this line. Each seven-car ICE 4 offers space for up to 444 passengers, which is about 17% more than the previously used ICE 2. There is also space for up to eight bicycles.

A total of 54 double-deck cars and ten locomotives from series 146.1 will be prepared for future use on two lines in the Rhine-Main Transport Association (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund; RMV) by December 2021. In addition to improved passenger comfort and better travel information, in future there will also be free WiFi access. The first renovated cars are already back in service. The redesign is part of the new transport contract, which will apply from December 2021.

The redesign of the 14 electric rail cars (ET) from series 425 for the Rhine-Main S-Bahn (metro) was completed at the end of 2020. In addition to optimizing the entry areas for accessible travel, each train received new seat cushions, a new travel information system (RIS), free WiFi access for passengers and new interior lighting with LEDs. The additional vehicles are to be used between Frankfurt central station and Frankfurt Airport as well as on the S-Bahn (metro) line S7.

All new ET 1440s from the manufacturer Alstom were in use in the Nuremberg S-Bahn (metro) network by the end of 2020. The four-car, air-conditioned ET 1440s travel at a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Each car has space for 230 seats (2nd class only) and a multipurpose area. Entry doors at platform height and automatically extendable gap bridges between the door and platform ensure barrier-free travel, while six doors per side of the train ensure quick entry and exit. The vehicles are equipped with an accessible toilet, sockets next to the seats and video cameras for increased safety.

In 2020, we introduced the prototype of the fifth generation of our bike rental service Call a Bike. In addition to the modern design, there are many customer-friendly innovations, such as a mobile phone holder and the spacious front basket, which is equipped with solar power cells that supply the lock with CO₂-neutral energy. The new smart lock makes it easier and more convenient to borrow bikes and shows information about the availability of the bike via an LED display. The fourth generation of bikes will also be retrofitted with the new technology.

The ICE 1 fleet will be made fit for the next ten years of operation with technical and comfort improvement measures in order to ensure continued operation. The first modernized ICE 1 began serving passengers in the summer of 2020. The ICE 1s are intended for routes with medium capacity requirements and will be shortened from 12 to 9 intermediate cars. The passenger information system will be improved with additional new displays, the storage space for luggage will be expanded, a new children’s compartment will be integrated and the toilet will be upgraded.

In 2020, DB Regional Bus commissioned the largest number of new vehicles in 20 years: about 500 new vehicles, with capital expenditures of about € 94 million. Of the new vehicles procured nationwide, 80% are made by the manufacturer MAN, the remaining 20% by other manufacturers. Among the new vehicles there are also 90 MAN mild hybrid vehicles (Euro VI emissions standard). The recuperation of brake energy and stop-start operation reduce fuel consumption and emissions. This can save an average of 10% of fuel compared with conventional vehicles.

DB Regional has one of the most modern local transport fleets in Germany available in the Allgäu region and in Swabia. A total of 41 new trains (diesel rail cars (VT) from series 633, 622 and 623) and 38 modernized vehicles (series 612 and 650 VT) were largely in use by the timetable change in December 2020. The new diesel multiple units provide higher capacities and emit up to 90% less particulate matter than previously used diesel locomotives. The new fleet operates between Ulm, Lake Constance, Augsburg and Munich.

The new schedule concept on the Rhine Valley railway began on June 14, 2020, with the timetable change, introducing modern and faster trains from Karlsruhe via Offenburg and Freiburg to Basel. Fifteen new Siemens Desiro vehicles are now running hourly between Offenburg and Basel. The trains offer passengers more space, comfort and flexibility. All trains are equipped with WiFi, multipurpose areas and video surveillance. At the end of 2020, all 24 new Mireo trains from Siemens were also in service.

In the course of the Munich S-Bahn (metro) vehicle modernization project, about 34,000 new seats with back and head cushions, 1,904 double-sided broadband monitors, about 36,000 m² of new flooring and about 750 km of new cables will be installed or laid. The project is one of our biggest modernization projects to date. About 200 employees are working simultaneously at two depots on up to 12 Bombardier/Alstom ET 423 S-Bahn (metro) vehicles. Since 2020, the provision of WiFi has also been integrated into the redesign. At the end of 2020, 180 of the 238 vehicles were delivered.

The PilUDE project, a pilot project for converting diesel buses to electric drives was introduced in Flensburg and Kiel. Instead of purchasing new electric buses, existing buses with conventional diesel engines are converted to battery-electric drives. Depending on the application, this can be quite competitive compared with the new purchase of an electric bus. One and a half years after the start of the project, comprehensive tests and the TÜV acceptance test, the PilUDE bus is in trial operation between Niebüll and Flensburg in Schleswig-Holstein.

In 2021, six highly automated minibuses will be driving between the Upper Franconian cities of Hof, Rehau and Kronach on the public roads. The driverless shuttles from the manufacturer Navya can be used free of charge. The project will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and will run until the end of 2021. In autumn 2020, the first tests were conducted without passengers. The aim is to test the operation of shuttles as a complementary component of public transport, to expand the technical capabilities of the shuttle and to develop new market models.

As a result of the reorganization of DB Cargo’s Eurasian rail transport activities, additional vehicles are needed. The type (BA) 742.x freight cars are manufactured by Greenbrier Europe in Romania, among others. The cars are to be used in the future segment of raw material transport for battery production in China. By the end of 2020, 60 new cars had been brought into operation at DB Cargo.

The demand for car transporters at DB Cargo Logistics is increasing. In order to meet this demand, up to 280 type 560.2 cars will be accepted from the German manufacturer ELH Waggonbau Niesky by the end of 2021. At the end of 2020, 63 cars were already in use. The open-top double-deck transporters feature a flexible upper loading level and a higher wheel set load. They can thus be used, among other things, for the transport of taller and heavy cars, such as SUVs and electric cars.

The Lehrte MegaHub terminal in Hanover-Lehrte was opened in 2020 after two years of construction. The Federal Government and DB Group have invested a total of about € 170 million. Six handling tracks, each about 720 meters long, as well as three portal cranes, were installed on the site, which measures about 120,000 m². A soil seal protects the groundwater. In 2020, freight handling began between rail and road as well as various trains. The launch of the first combined transport train is planned for April 2021.

The conversion of Cottbus central station nto one of the 16 future stations is now complete. The station building has been redesigned inside and out, and now features wooden seating with real plants to improve the passenger waiting experience. In addition to a new information and route guidance system, all platforms were renewed and modernized. They can now be reached via elevators and guide facilities for the blind and visually impaired. Bicycle parking spaces directly in front of the station promote green mobility.

Warnemünde station was opened in May 2020 after extensive modernization. In addition to the installation of a modern digital interlocking, tracks, switches, overhead lines and telecommunications systems, as well as flood protection, were all improved. The information and route guidance system has been renovated. The platforms, which are now accessible, are equipped with new lighting, public address systems and digital passenger information systems.

The infrastructure of the 99-kilometer-long, high-speed track between Mannheim and Stuttgart has been extensively renovated. During the full closure, lasting six and a half months, about 190 km of track, 54 switches, about 300,000 sleepers and about 440,000 tons of gravel were replaced. In addition, works on tunnel and recess drainage, as well as the renovation of overhead line systems and the dismantling of telecommunications systems took place.

Electronic interlocking and seven new sidings startet operation at the S-Bahn (metro) depot in Munich-Steinhausen in April 2020. The electronic interlocking (ESTW) replaces the old relay interlocking (RSTW). In future, the traffic controllers will control 198 signals and 89 switches at the click of a mouse. The additional capacities enable the on-time provision of up to 300 rail vehicles, which will be directed to Steinhausen.