AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) has placed an initial order with Stadler for 16 Cityjet battery electric multiple-units (BEMUs) worth €194m. The order is an option from a €1.3bn 10-year framework agreement negotiated earlier this year for up to 120 BEMUs.
The three-car 160km/h trains are expected to enter service on the non-electrified Sigmundsherberg - Hadersdorf am Kamp line in Lower Austria from 2028.
Stader says the use of the battery-powered trains will save up to 1.7 million litres of diesel per year representing about 4250 tonnes of CO2.
The 63m-long trains will seat up 160 passengers. Each train will have space for two wheelchairs with escort seats and an accessible toilet as well as level boarding. There will also be space for up to 12 bicycles or up to eight prams.
The trains will be equipped with Wi-Fi, power sockets at the seats and both folding and fixed tables. “The new battery trains are a milestone towards the decarbonisation of regional rail transport,” says ÖBB’s CEO, Mr Andreas Matthä. “The trains can run on battery power on non-electrified line sections. This means that we can do without diesel-powered trains on these routes.”
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