NY Eve Premiere: First new S-Bahn Berlin train starts passenger service

Residents of Berlin and Brandenburg can now look forward to brand new trains providing more space, large panoramic windows, air conditioning, security cameras in all cars, direct voice connections with the security center, fingertip service access for wheelchair users, and modern passenger information displays.

The premiere train (serial numbers 484-001 and 483-001) with six cars will roll out of the Schöneweide station on New Year’s Eve. A paired male and female team of drivers will operate the new S-Bahn train on line S47 to Spindlersfeld. During the day, two more new trains will supplement service on the route between Spindlersfeld and Hermannstrasse. 

S-Bahn CEO Peter Buchner: “Our passengers can look forward to a completely new travel experience - a gliding on rails. These are the most comfortable trains in the long history of the Berlin S-Bahn. Together with Siemens and Stadler, we have been working towards this moment for five years - we closely accompanied the production, testing and acceptance of the trains and prepared ourselves intensively, including training train drivers and employees in the Grünau workshop on the new trains." 

A total of ten pre-series trains will enter passenger service beginning with the New Year. These trains will provide a stream of further data and experience that can flow into the series production, which has already begun. The new trains will operate on the Ringbahn system based on the new transport contract with the states of Berlin and Brandenburg that takes effect on January 1, 2021. S-Bahn Berlin has ordered a total of 382 cars (21 two-car and 85 four-car units) from the manufacturing consortium of Stadler and Siemens that are to be delivered by the end of 2023. In addition to operating on the S47 line, the new trains will also be used on the S46, S8 and S41/S42 lines.

Regine Günther, Senator for Environment, Transport and Climate Protection: "With the new generation of S-Bahn trains, comfort, reliability and performance are significantly increased. S-Bahn travel will become more attractive and even more barrier-free. More modern S-Bahn carriages will follow in the coming years and make it easier for passengers to switch to public transport. This will accelerate climate protection and the change in modes of transportation." 

Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Planning for the State of Brandenburg: "The brand-new S-Bahn trains are good news for commuters in the capital region. The new series adds additional vehicles to the S-Bahn fleet as well as are creating more transport capacity. The customer will notice it. The trains are modern, more comfortable and safer. This also shows how a participation of customers and associations in the development process of the vehicles can be implemented successfully."

Susanne Henckel, CEO, Verkehrsverbunds Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB): "The new S-Bahn will not only enrich Berlin in terms of transport, but will also bring much better quality, especially for passengers. Especially now in times of crisis, it is important to set an example. With more space, safety and punctuality, the new S-Bahn will make public transport in the VBB region more attractive and better. This makes it easier to switch from the car and also helps the important and necessary change in transport. Congratulations to the Siemens / Stadler manufacturing team and of course to the entire S-Bahn team around Peter Buchner!"

About Siemens

Siemens Mobility is an independently managed company of Siemens AG. Siemens Mobility has been a leading provider in the field of transport solutions for over 160 years and is constantly developing its portfolio through innovations. The core business includes rail vehicles, rail automation and electrification solutions, turnkey systems, intelligent road traffic technology and the associated services. With digitization, Siemens Mobility enables mobility operators all over the world to make their infrastructure intelligent, to ensure sustainable value growth over the entire life cycle, to improve passenger comfort and to guarantee availability.