DB Regio has ordered 14 Stadler two-car Flirt Akku BEMUs, which will enter service in Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region from December 2026.

Stadler successfully completed a three-year research project to test battery operation of the unit in March 2021. The Flirt Akku can operate on partially and non-electrified lines and has a range of up to 100km in battery mode. The train has travelled up to 224km in battery mode during testing.

DB Regio will operate the trains on the previously diesel-only H-network that runs along part of the Baltic Sea coast. DB Regio was awarded a contract in 2010 to operate the network for 13 years from 2012, which includes 1.5 million train-km a year and includes the RB11 Wismar - Rostock - Tessin and RB12 Bad Doberan - Rostock - Graal-Müritz lines.

The Flirt Akku multiple units have 99 seats, and two areas multi-purpose areas for wheelchairs, pushchairs and bicycles, as well as air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, power sockets, CCTV, and a modern passenger information system.

DB Regio also ordered 44 Flirt Akku BEMUs on November 25 2021, which it will operate in the Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg regions. Since 2019, Stadler has sold 113 vehicles with alternative drive technologies in Germany

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