photo: Archives/CAF will supply electric trains with traction batteries to Germany
The transport authorities of the Rhine-Ruhr (VRR) and Westphalia-Lipe (NWL) regions in North Rhine-Westphalia have announced the Spanish company CAF as the winner of the tender for the supply of more than 60 electric trains with traction batteries. After the 10-day deadline for complaints from other tenderers, CAF should proceed with the process of negotiating the supply of trains, as well as their maintenance for 30 years.
The bidding procedures initiated by the VRR and NWL administrations began in 2018 and included several rounds of negotiations with the bidders. The deliveries are based on the NRW, and RRX (NRW-RRX) regional network financing model developed for North Rhine-Westphalia.
Trains offered by CAF can be powered by overhead contact lines or traction batteries when traveling in non-electrified areas. With the transition to new rolling stock in the VRR network, the mileage of trains (train-km) with diesel traction will be reduced to less than 10%.
There is a multifunctional space in electric train lounges for wheelchairs, bicycles, and prams. The trains are also equipped with folding tables, sockets, Wi-Fi access is available.
CAF offers Civity BEMU trains in two types of capacity: 120 and 160 seats. All of them will be used in the Lower Rhine-Münsterland network. The commissioning of extended electric trains also implies corresponding changes in the infrastructure, including the planned adaptation of signaling systems, the extension of platforms and increase of their height, as well as expansion of sludge parks.
The new trains are scheduled to run between Geldern, Krefeld, and Neuss. The open Lower Rhine line to Camp-Lintfort will be used again.
The Lower Rhine-Münsterland network, with an annual train movement of around 6 million train kilometers, includes seven routes. A separate tender will be held for future operators of these routes. Transport on three routes will begin in December 2025, on the rest - until the end of December 2028.