InnoTrans 2024 report (11)

At InnoTrans, Bavarian Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter presented on 25 September the exterior design for the new S-Bahn München trains ordered in August 2023. Heiko Büttner, DB Group Representative for the Free State of Bavaria and CEO of S-Bahn München, together with Karl Blaim, Managing Director and CFO of Siemens Mobility, reported on the progress of the project.

The first of a total of 90 new EMUs from Siemens Mobility are to be delivered successively beginning at the end of 2028. The exterior design of the new vehicles is based on a modern diamond pattern and the colours white and ‘Bahnland Bayern’ blue. Bavarian Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter: “In future, the new S-Bahn München trains will show who is behind them: the Free State of Bavaria, which is investing more than two billion euros in this project. It is therefore only logical that the most modern S-Bahn trains in Germany will be travelling in the design of our local transport brand. But it's not just about new colours, because the exterior design of the trains will also make it as easy as possible for passengers to find their way around in future.”
 
To achieve this, the exterior design, developed in cooperation with the design studio neomind, combines digital and static elements. For example, a continuous LED strip in the upper area shows the color of the respective line. The new S-Bahn relies on strong light/dark contrasts that are especially helpful for ensuring barrier-free passenger orientation: Dark gray doors stand out clearly from the lighter body, and specially dedicated areas, such as for wheelchairs, bicycles and strollers, are highlighted in ‘Bahnland Bavaria’ blue. These zones are also marked with clearly visible pictograms already being used on the interior and exterior of the modernized Class 423 S-Bahn trains.
 
Heiko Büttner, DB Group Representative for the Free State of Bavaria and CEO of S-Bahn München: “Our project team is working with our partners on the finishing touches so the XXL S-Bahn trains can go into production right on time. The new trains will set standards throughout Germany. For the first time, 200-meter-long S-Bahn trains will be fully accessible from front to rear and offer generous space and comfort for more than 1,800 passengers. This way, we can replace up to 1,500 cars in rush hours with a single train and show what a strong rail system can achieve in a congested capital like München.”
 
The new trains will offer state-of-the-art features and equipment: Thanks to the wide doors, spacious boarding areas and full-length accessibility, passengers can board and alight more quickly and circulate more easily throughout the train. Five large multi-purpose areas also ensure that passengers with bicycles or strollers can quickly find suitable space.

The trains provide more legroom, lighting that automatically adapts to the time of day, USB ports, windows that are specially treated to improve mobile phone reception, and many other features for highly comfortable and convenient travel. A powerful air conditioning system ensures pleasant interior temperatures even when dealing with outside temperatures of up to +45 degrees Celsius.

Karl Blaim, CFO and Managing Director of Siemens Mobility: “We are delighted to present the white, blue and gray exterior design of the new S-Bahn München trains together with Transport Minister Bernreiter. The project is proceeding according to plan and production will begin in 2025. We are proud that passengers will in the future be able to travel in comfortable, ultra-modern trains that are especially reliable and future-proof thanks to Siemens rail technology, also at home here in Bavaria.”

The new are distinguished by their optimized lifecycle costs thanks to maximum energy efficiency, 100 % availability, minimized maintenance costs, maximized network capacity, and top passenger comfort and convenience. To ensure this, the trains have a high number of redundant components and are equipped with the Railigent X analysis and maintenance system, which is part Siemens Xcelerator, the open, digital business platform. Thanks to automation and artificial intelligence, the system ensures the highest possible availability of the trains. The new trains will also be equipped with the ETCS and be capable with an Automatic Train Operation (ATO).