Following extensive trials with two prototype trains, BVG placed an initial €60m order last July for 11 four-car production trains.
The trains will be assembled at Stadler Pankow's plant near Berlin with delivery of the initial order scheduled to begin in the middle of next year. Production of the second batch will begin in mid-2017 and deliveries will start in April 2018. All 37 trains will be in service by mid-2019.
The vehicles feature a slightly curved bodyshell, which enables interior spaced to be optimised within the constraints of the narrow-profile tunnels. This provides a maximum width of 2.4m, 10cm wider than BVG's existing narrow-profile vehicles. Each 51.6m-long set will accommodate 330 passengers, 80 of them seated with full-width gangways and level boarding to aid accessibility.
