Bombardier Transportation has won a €50m order from German national railway operator Deutsche Bahn to supply five TWINDEXX Vario multiple units.
DB will operate the new TWINDEXX Vario double-deck trains on regional services connecting the Baltic coast with Berlin and destinations in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt.
Each train will include two power cars and two to three intermediate trailer cars, while transporting passengers at speeds of up to 160km/h.
The double-deck trains feature a multi-purpose area on the lower deck with space for bicycles and luggage, while the centre coaches are equipped with vending machines and facilities for disabled passengers.
Delivery of the new trains is scheduled to start in the second half of 2014.
The low-floor entrances of the trains increase vehicle capacity and are compatible with Berlin’s long-distance railway station platforms, while a sliding step enables easy access by reducing the gap between the vehicle and the platform.
The trains will be equipped with MITRAC 1000 propulsion and control system, which allows trains to accelerate quickly to an optimum speed.
The new deal is part of a framework agreement for double-deck coaches and trains signed between DB and Bombardier in December 2008.
Under the deal, DB has ordered 135 long-distance coaches for intercity transport, 18 intermediate cars, and 16 regional trains.
All the double-deck coaches are built at the company’s Görlitz manufacturing plant in combination with research and development at its Hennigsdorf plant in Germany.
Bogies are built at the company’s Siegen plant, while the drive engines in Västerås, Sweden.
Image: The new Bombardier TWINDEXX Vario trains are scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2014. Photo: courtesy of Bombardier.
