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Press Release25 September 2024Siemens MobilityBerlin
Siemens Mobility and Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn usher in a new era of climate-friendly drives
Uwe Schüler,
State Secretary at the Brandenburg Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional
Planning, emphasises: ‘Around 73 percent of regional transport
in Berlin and Brandenburg currently runs on climate-friendly electricity via
overhead lines. The states of Berlin and Brandenburg and the VBB have set
themselves the goal of making all remaining non-electrified routes independent
of fossil fuels by 2037. To ensure that local public transport remains the most
climate-friendly form of motorised mobility, rail transport is to become
diesel-free. We are reaching an important milestone on the way to achieving this
today. Not every route needs to be equipped with an overhead line throughout.
For battery-powered multiple units, it is sufficient to electrify sections of
the line; for hydrogen multiple units, a refuelling station that is regularly
supplied with hydrogen is sufficient. With the climate-friendly hydrogen trains
and battery trains, we are a big step closer to the goal of emission-free
drives. The use of battery-electric trains alone will result in around 4.4
million fewer litres of diesel being consumed on the East Brandenburg network
each year.’
Ute Bonde, Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the
Environment: ‘Instead of using
diesel vehicles on routes without overhead lines as in the past, the states of
Berlin and Brandenburg, together with the VBB, have commissioned transport
services with innovative drive concepts in order to make public transport even
more environmentally friendly. I am delighted that passengers on the
Heidekrautbahn and Ostbrandenburg networks will have access to modern vehicles
with high-quality equipment in the future. The planned service expansions will
allow us to offer people in the capital region more train connections and thus
take the transport transition a step further.’
“We are facing exciting as well as
challenging times with the introduction of two new types of drives,” commented Detlef
Bröcker, CEO of NEB Betriebsgesellschaft, during the presentation of the new
trains. “At the same time, we are looking forward to boosting regional rail
transport and supporting the region by using environmentally friendly trains
and helping to advance the transport transition by enhancing passenger service
and comfort.”
"Together
with NEB, we are delighted to present our climate-friendly and sustainable
trains powered by hydrogen and battery drives for service in the Berlin and
Brandenburg region,” said Albrecht Neumann, CEO Rolling Stock at Siemens
Mobility. “The Mireo Plus B and Mireo Plus H trains combine innovation and
sustainability in places where electrification of the rail line is not possible
or not economical. This will enable us to make a significant contribution to
combating climate change.”
Martin Fuchs, Managing Director of
Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB): ‘It is our goal to operate
100% emission-free rail transport throughout the entire regional network by
2037. With the start of operations in the East Brandenburg network and on the
Heidekrautbahn at the end of this year and with the use of battery-electric
& hydrogen trains, we are getting a lot closer to this step. While we will
still have 26 per cent diesel-powered trains in the VBB in 2024, this will be
reduced to 15 per cent by 2025. I am optimistic that we will achieve our goal
despite the challenges in procuring new vehicles.’
Starting
with the scheduled timetable change in December 2024, both rail fleets will
gradually and completely replace the old diesel-powered trains on almost all
lines on the Heidekrautbahn and East Brandenburg rail networks. This shift will
mark a significant milestone toward achieving sustainable mobility. These
replacements will increase the share of electric drives used in regional rail
transport in Brandenburg and Berlin to 85 percent.
Mireo Plus H and Mireo Plus B: A technological conversion in Brandenburg’s regional passenger transport
The
Mireo Plus H and the Mireo Plus B are state-of-the-art trains operating with
drives powered by fuel cells and batteries respectively, and utilize a traction
system with a high drive power of 1.7 MW for accelerating up to 1.1 m/s2
and reaching an authorized top speed of 140 km/h. The Mireo Plus H and Plus B trains
are designed to be energy-saving and environmentally friendly. Their welded
lightweight aluminum unibody, improved aerodynamics, energy-efficient
components, and intelligent on-board power supply management help reduce
emissions and the use of resources.
The Mireo Plus H hydrogen train can run
up to roughly 1,000 kilometers on one tank of fuel, and the battery trains can
cover up to 120 kilometers operating on batteries alone.
In 2021 and 2022, NEB ordered a total
of 38 Mireo trains with these alternative, environmentally friendly drive
systems from Siemens Mobility. This will be the first time that battery or
hydrogen-powered trains will be used in regular VBB service in Brandenburg and
Berlin. The switch from diesel to hydrogen and batteries will reduce annual CO2
emissions by around 14.5 million kilos and save roughly 5.5 million liters of
diesel.
In addition to the comfort and
convenience provided by the modern trains, passengers can look forward to
further amenities beginning in December 2024: all trains will be equipped with
Wi-Fi service and also offer access to an infotainment portal. And for many of
the lines, the new trains will also provide a noticeable increase in seating
capacities. Moreover, a new passenger guidance system in the cars will ease
boarding and alighting, speeding up passenger changes. The scheduled timetable
change on December 15 will not only see the new trains enter daily service, but
there will also be more frequent service on some lines or more trains operating
in the mornings and evenings.
Those interested will have an
opportunity to see the Mireo Plus H hydrogen train running on Berlin’s Stadtbahn
system this week as it makes presentation rides without regular passenger
service as part of the InnoTrans transport technology trade fair.
For this press release
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Siemens Mobility is a separately managed company of Siemens AG. As a leader in intelligent transport solutions for more than 175 years, Siemens Mobility is constantly innovating its portfolio. Its core areas include rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, a comprehensive software portfolio, turnkey systems as well as related services. With digital products and solutions, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators worldwide to make infrastructure intelligent, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience and guarantee availability. In fiscal year 2023, which ended on September 30, 2023, Siemens Mobility posted revenue of €10.5 billion and employed around 39,800 people worldwide. Further information is available at:
www.siemens.com/mobility
Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) provides local rail passenger mobility in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. The roots of the more than 120-year-old, richly traditional company lie in the region and are at the same time both aspiration and motivation for ensuring environmentally friendly connections between cities and rural areas. Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn-AG owns and operates the Heidekrautbahn network to the north of Berlin and plans to reactivate the Heidekrautbahn mainline (RB28) by 2024. As a railway company, NEB Betriebsgesellschaft mbH operates eleven regional railway lines in the north and east of Brandenburg on behalf of the Verkehrsverbundes Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB). In 2021, Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn was again awarded the contract to operate the East Brandenburg network (NOB2) until 2036 and the Heidekrautbahn network until 2034. You can find further information at
www.NEB.de.
The Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains are being funded by
the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) with around 25 million euros as part of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. The funding programme is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).