THE German state of Baden Württemberg has awarded an increased share of the national regionalisation funds it receives for public transport to Stuttgart area transport authority Verband Region Stuttgart (VRS), boosting funding by €106m between 2022 and 2032.
VRS is set to receive 9.9% of the total allocation compared with 9.1% previously. The additional funds will be used to increase service frequencies on the Stuttgart S-Bahn network and to ensure that eight or 12-car formations are used for peak time services.
A 15-minute frequency is planned on core S-Bahn routes while a new express S-Bahn semi fast service will be introduced between Stuttgart Feuerbach and Weil der Stadt.
Fleet boost
An additional 58 class 430 S-Bahn trains are on order from Bombardier (now Alstom) with 10 set to be delivered in 2021 and the remainder in 2022. The new trains will incorporate the new interiors and exterior livery tested in three refurbished prototype trains (both class 430 and an older class 423) during 2020.
Plans to fully refurbish the older train fleets have been developed with this is likely to continue until the mid-2020s. Work will be undertaken at German Rail’s (DB) S-Bahn depot at Plochingen.
The entire fleet - which with the new trains will total 215 sets - will also be equipped with ETCS which will be required for operation in central Stuttgart when the new underground main station opens in December 2025.
