DANISH State Railways’ (DSB) plans to introduce 100 Alstom EMUs to replace DMU fleets have been delayed again, this time by two years until 2027. DSB announced a six-month delay to the €1.4bn order, which includes 15 years maintenance, in May 2022.

Under the revised plans, the first Coradia Stream trains will be delivered in 2025 to carry out testing and commissioning in Denmark. The trains are expected to start transporting passengers two years later. According to DSB, Alstom is taking longer than expected to complete the final design of the IC5 while the manufacturer is continuing to grapple with unreliable supply chains while adapting its capacity and production plans.

Such problems are not unusual, DSB’s head of strategy and train materials, Mr Jürgen Müller, says. “There aren’t any off-the-shelf items, and even when buying as standardised as possible, it’s a large and complex task to get all details in place, so that the train’s final design will live up to all the special conditions that are present in the country in question,” Müller says.

The 100 IC5 trains will replace the current IC3, IC4, IR4, and Øresund trains. The new units will be based on Alstom’s low-floor, modular Coradia Stream EMU concept, but will be customised for Danish conditions and capable of running at up to 200km/h.

Production of the five-car, 300-seat train is underway at Alstom’s sites in Katowice, Poland, and Salzgitter, Germany. The trains will feature wider tables, reclining seats, charging facilities and reading lights at each seat, and more screens for information.

The contract includes an option for an additional 50 sets and associated maintenance, taking its potential value to €2.6bn.

“Designing a train is like putting together a puzzle with 120,000 pieces, where every single small change to a piece affects the final picture,” says Mr Jörg Nikutta, CEO for Alstom Denmark. “Now the design is locked in, production is underway, and although the schedule has been adjusted, we will deliver fantastic electric IC5 trains that meet, and hopefully exceed, the Danish expectations for a reliable and comfortable passenger experience.”

Netherlands Railways (NS) has introduced a variant of its own of Coradia Stream EMU, and DSB says it hopes to learn from their experiences.

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