Passenger rolling stock at InnoTrans 2024

Germany: This year’s InnoTrans saw the presentation of trains from CRRC, Stadler, Siemens Mobility, Alstom, etc. An important part of the exhibition was devoted to alternative traction vehicles, such as CRRC’s train with hydrogen fuel cells and Stadler’s railbus with a hydrogen internal combustion engine. Rolling stock for intercity services was represented by push-pull trains from Talgo and Siemens Mobility. The latter also unveiled the Velaro high-speed train for Egypt.

CINOVA H2, hydrogen train from CRRC

It is the Chinese company’s debut in the MU segment. According to the producer, the train boasts a commercial speed of 160 km/h, a design speed of 200 km/h and ability to carry over 1,000 passengers, with seating for 236. It is supposed to be operated as a four-car trainset, with two cars being motor-powered.

Four 240 kW hydrogen fuel cells and 366 kW?h LTO traction battery packs installed on a train are said to provide acceleration of 0.65 m/s2 up to a speed of 40 km/h. CRRC stresses the high fuel efficiency of the train, which consumes less than 0.3 g of hydrogen per passenger-kilometre at full load and maximum operating speed.

Both the streamlined body shape and energy-efficient technologies contribute to this performance. The water produced by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen is used for the passenger’s needs, while the heat generated by the fuel cells is used to heat the interior.

With 315 kg of fuel onboard, the CINOVA H2 is said to run 1,200 km at a maximum speed of 160 km/h. The proprietary SmartCare intelligent operation and maintenance system continuously monitors equipment, bogies and infrastructure to predict failures and determine the optimal maintenance schedule. The service life of the train is 30 years, with maintenance required every 1.45 mln km or 7.5 years.

Last year, CRRC Corporation Ltd. introduced the CINOVA 2.0 regional electric trains, which are similar to the hydrogen innovation. They are currently in service in the Chinese province of Hubei.

FLIRT Akku, Stadler’s extended BEMU

The Swiss manufacturer has never presented this modification before. Unlike a typical FLIRT, the cars of the new modification have two double-axle bogies without a Jacobs bogie. This makes it possible to extend the train to 55.5 m and increase its passenger capacity to 325.

The total power of four traction motors is 1,200 kW, with a maximum speed of 140 km/h. The lithium-ion traction batteries can be recharged en route from a 15 kV AC catenary, allowing 80 km of operation on lines without overhead lines. In 2021, DB Regio ordered 44 of these trains for regional passenger services in south-west Germany, and they are expected to enter passenger service at the end of 2025.

ABe 6/12, narrow-gauge EMU from Stadler

Displayed for the first time, the three-car ABe 6/12 EMU is produced for the 1,000 mm gauge Vigezzina–Centovalli line between Switzerland and Italy. The train is reported to be capable of running on slopes of up to 60‰ at 60 km/h without a rack-and-pinion rail and of negotiating curves of up to 42 m. Six of the train’s 12 axles are fitted with 125 kW traction motors. The head cars have low-floor areas 450 mm above the top of the rail. One has two sections for wheelchair users and a WC, the other has areas for bicycles, pushchairs and other luggage.

For this project, Stadler will supply 12 trainsets, which will enter service in 2025. The Swiss operator FART will receive four 48.9 m three-car ABe 6/12s with 95 seats and four 63.4 m four-car ABe 8/16s with 128 seats. The rest four ABe 8/16s will be delivered to SSIF, an Italian operator providing passenger services on the same line.

Mireo Smart, basic EMU from Siemens Mobility

The three-car trainset has been publicly presented in the livery of Smart Train Lease, the German manufacturer’s leasing subsidiary. With 214 seats for passengers and a dedicated space for parking 21 bicycles, the Mireo Smart is stated to have a maximum speed of 160 km/h with an acceleration of up to 0.96 m/s2.

The EMU, presented at InnoTrans 2024, is designed for operation on 15 kV AC lines, but alternative traction configurations will be available at customers’ request, including battery and hydrogen versions. The train’s floor height at the entrance is also optional: a configuration for 550 mm platforms, as presented at the exhibition, and another one for higher, 760 mm platforms.

As declared by Siemens Mobility , a high degree of standardisation is the most important advantage of the Mireo Smart, allowing for shortening the delivery time – up to 18 months between ordering and starting service, as well as making the rolling stock price attractive and reducing the maintenance costs.

Short- and long-term leasing of the Mireo Smart EMUs will be offered by the above mentioned Smart Train Lease. It was earlier reported that the first six such trainsets had been assembled for an undisclosed customer.

D (Mariyung), double-deck EMU from Hyundai Rotem

By order of the Australian operator NSW TrainLink, a consortium of Hyundai Rotem , UGL Rail and Mitsubishi Electric Australia developed the train for intercity services from Sydney. It is now being manufactured at Hyundai Rotem’s plant in Changwon, South Korea.

A four-car and six-car train can carry 642 and 982 passengers respectively at a maximum commercial speed of 160 km/h with an acceleration of 0.8 m/s2. The Mariyung offers passengers space for prams, wheelchairs, bicycles and luggage, but these were not available in the head car presented at InnoTrans.

Between 2016 and 2021, a total of 122 trains were ordered from the South Korean manufacturer. They were due to enter service in 2020, but difficulties, including numerous defects discovered during testing, forced the manufacturer to extend the deadline several times, most recently to December 2024.

Trains for high-speed railways

Visitors to InnoTrans could also see the first Siemens Velaro high-speed train for Egypt, the Hitachi ETR 1000 high-speed train of new modification for Italy, and a coach for the Talgo 230 high-speed push-pull train for Denmark.

According to Siemens Mobility, the eight-car Velaro train has been built to withstand the climatic and sandy conditions in Egypt. In addition to advanced filtering and air-conditioning systems, special features are designed to prevent sand from rising on the roof and hot air from entering the underfloor area. 481 passengers, including two in wheelchairs, can be accommodated in the standard or business class compartments, along with a restaurant car. The maximum operating speed of the train is 250 km/h.

In May 2022, a consortium of Siemens Mobility and Egyptian companies was awarded the contract to build Egypt’s first high-speed railway lines. The project involves the delivery of a fleet of 94 Desiro HC regional partially double-deckers, 41 Velaro high-speed trains, and 41 Vectron electric freight locomotives. The company has already built five Desiro HCs, the first of which has been delivered to Egypt, and one Velaro, with a further four being under assembly or testing.

Under the contract with the Italian passenger operator Trenitalia , Hitachi Rail has equipped the ETR 1000 (Frecciarossa 1000) high-speed train with new bogies, traction motors and other power equipment, as well as renewed the car interior. According to the manufacturer, other modernisation features include the HMAX AI solution to control and diagnose the condition of the train and its components and predict their failures. To this end, the Italian-built trains have been fitted with on-board sensors.

The indoor exposition featured the Talgo 230 passenger coach. It is produced by the Spanish manufacturer for the Danish national operator DSB, which has ordered a total of 16 trains of 13 coaches in February 2020 and April 2023.

This year, trains hauled by Siemens Mobility Vectron electric locomotives are expected to enter revenue service on the Copenhagen–Aarhus–Hamburg line. Designed for a top speed of 200 km/h, they are said to be 95% recyclable and consume 30% less energy than industry standards. This economy is made possible by a lighter body and a special design of the running gear.

Trains for routes with low traffic

Stadler, Kon?ar and the Institute for Rail Vehicles and Transport Systems presented their rolling stock for non-electrified European lines with low passenger traffic.

Stadler’s main debut at InnoTrans 2024 is the prototype of the RS ZERO single-car railbus. With a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine from German producer Deutz, this innovative vehicle is the first example of this technology being used in rail passenger transport. The hydrogen-powered Stadler FLIRT H2, presented in Berlin in 2022, uses fuel cells, as do similar rolling stock from other manufacturers.

During the presentation, Ansgar Brockmeyer, Head of the Sales & Marketing Division and Deputy Group CEO at Stadler, said that the company had chosen the internal combustion engine as a propulsion system because of its better weight and space characteristics, which is critical for a railbus with an axle load of 18 t or less. Another advantage of this traction system is the ability to use standard diesel engine technology for maintenance. According to the company, this makes the transition to new rolling stock easier and cheaper.

A hybrid drive system with two 220 kW 6-cylinder inline engines TCG 7.8 H2 by DEUTZ Corporation is installed in the front overhang under the driver’s cab. The traction battery is located in the central underfloor space and the second and third axles are electrically driven. Other key figures include a maximum power at the wheel rim of 600 kW, an acceleration of 0.95 m/s2, a design speed of 120 km/h, and a range of 850 km.

Testing of the prototype will begin shortly in the German state of Thuringia. At InnoTrans, the manufacturer signed an agreement to this effect with the state and the local railway company Erfurter Bahn. Stadler is also planning to develop a catenary-battery train pertaining to the same platform.

KON?AR Group , Croatia, offered its own solution for routes with low traffic. This is a two-car battery train with 102 seats, which can reportedly carry 216 passengers. The vehicle has roof-mounted lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide traction batteries with a capacity of 736 kW?h, which can only be recharged at stops. The range is not disclosed, but it can be assumed that the train will run an average of 18 hours a day, covering a distance of about 480 km. The maximum speed is given as 120 km/h.

The Institut für Schienenfahrzeuge (IFS) - RWTH Aachen University has unveiled a prototype of the battery-powered Aachen Rail Shuttle (ARS). The vehicle, which has been under development since 2020, is said to be designed to operate at short intervals of 10 to 15 minutes and is capable of unmanned operation (still under development). This makes the ARS more attractive to both passengers and operators than traditional rail transport.

According to IFS, the 13.5 m modular railbus is equipped with a platform chassis with a drive, traction batteries and a control unit developed in cooperation with the German companies 舍弗勒 and 克诺尔集团 . The body is manufactured by LBBZ, a partner for machining and manufacturing with laser technology. There will be several versions of the ARS available: with or without a driver’s cab and a cargo version.

Other exhibits

Siemens Mobility, ?koda Group, Alstom and Stadler presented the trains that are already in service or about to be launched.

The Vectrain push-pull train from Siemens Mobility and ?koda Group has been operating on the network of the Czech national operator ?eské dráhy, a.s. since June under the commercial name ComfortJet. The train, consisting of Viaggio passenger coaches, has driving trailers at each end with cabins identical to those of the Vectron electric locomotives; the traction equipment is located in one of the trailers. Siemens Mobility has named this concept Vectrain.

The Vectrain can reach speeds of up to 230 km/h and accommodate 555 passengers in the nine-car version. Ninety-nine first-class passengers can enjoy a 2+1 seating arrangement, while the train has dedicated spaces for three passengers in wheelchairs and multifunctional areas for bicycles and large luggage.

In 2021, ?D ordered 20 nine-car trains (180 cars) from a consortium of Siemens Mobility and ?koda Group for international routes from Prague to Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Siemens produces the carbodies and driving trailers at its plants in Vienna and Munich, while ?koda carries out the final assembly of intermediate cars at the plant in Ostrava. Four trains are already in service and deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2026.

阿尔斯通运输 exhibited the Coradia Max, a four-car partially double-deck EMU. In 2021, the Lower Saxony railway operator LNVG ordered 34 of these trains and 18 intermediate double-deck cars. Most of the vehicles were due to enter service in December 2024, but the deadline has been pushed back to 2025.

Stadler’s display included the KISS CityJet double-deck EMU for the Austrian national operator ?BB . Under a framework agreement signed in the spring of 2022, the Swiss manufacturer agreed to build 186 trains, 126 of which, with four to six cars, were ordered between 2022 and 2024. The CityJets are designed for regional services and have a maximum speed of 160 km/h, while the RailJets for intercity services can reach 200 km/h.

Overhauled and refurbished trains

The German regional operator DB Regio (part of Deutsche Bahn ) has unveiled the refurbished series 424 EMU for the Cologne S-Bahn. Built in 1999, the train now has a renewed livery and interior with passenger information systems, electrical sockets, multifunctional areas and two seating arrangements for wheelchair users. By 2026, the entire fleet of 123 trains (series 424, 422 and 423) will have been overhauled.

This year H. Cegielski - Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych Sp. z o.o. (FPS), Poland, showed a modernised coach for the Polish national operator PKP Intercity . The Z1B-10 compartment coach with second class seating was built back in 1997. After the overhaul, the vehicle received an upgraded interior, modern toilets, doors, information systems, power sockets, air conditioning with individual compartment control and improved sound insulation. FPS expects to receive new orders for the refurbishment of coaches from other countries.

Read our reviews of InnoTrans 2022: MUs, locomotives, LRV, track machines

Authors:

Anna Ivolgina, Editorial Contributor to International Projects, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency

Dmitry Krechetov, Editorial Contributor, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency

Ekaterina Savenkova, Editorial Contributor to International Projects of ROLLINGSTOCK Agency

Olga Yashchenko, Editorial Contributor to International Projects, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency