Deutsche Bahn is launching the largest modernization program to date for its vehicle fleet. By 2030, the group will invest more than 19 billion euros in new locomotives and trains. DB announced this today at the “InnoTrans” railway trade fair in Berlin. Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG: “We are now investing in the trains of the future.” With the investments, the railways are creating the capacity for higher demand, because modern vehicles are not only making the railways more climate-friendly, but also more reliable and customer-friendly, said the railway boss.
At the trade fair, DB is showing what the regional train of the future could look like. For the first time, passengers will be traveling in Bavaria in a specially converted double-decker car. Spatially separated office cabins and a spacious family area are examples of how traveling in regional transport can become more comfortable and customers can make even better use of their time on board. In long-distance transport, DB is expanding its ICE fleet with the new ICE L, among other things. DB is expecting three new ICE trains every month in 2023. By 2030, this fleet will grow to around 450 trains.
The freight train of the future that DB Cargo is presenting at the trade fair is also more climate-friendly on routes without overhead lines. Freight cars are modular and extremely flexible, the digital automatic coupler is the new backbone of the freight train. Not only does it make train operations faster, it also adds a new dimension to the supply chain on rails with power lines and live data.
A novelty at the fair is the Cargo dual-powered locomotive, which can be operated with both green electricity and climate-friendly biofuel. They are used over long distances as well as in customer service at close range or in shunting operations.
DB wants to solve the future challenge of getting more trains on the rails and at the same time becoming more punctual and reliable with digitization and new technologies. In its test train, the advanced Train Lab, DB is testing, for example, cellphone-permeable window panes, climate-friendly fuel and sensors for the digitization of trains and rails. (awm)