NRW: New S-Bahn planned for Cologne - with better WiFi and toilets
Created: 05/31/2022, 17:36
By: Benjamin Stroka
This is what the new S-Bahn trains in the Rhineland could look like in the future (design draft).
© Neomind
The S-Bahn in Cologne and the Rhineland should change completely.
More space and comfort are planned.
There should even be toilets and better WiFi.
Cologne – Anyone who thinks of comfortable travel is probably not the first to think of the S-Bahn.
Designed especially for short distances with many stops, comfort usually has to take a back seat here.
But that should change in the future - and a lot more, as 24RHEIN reports.
Because there are extensive plans for new S-Bahn trains in Cologne and the surrounding region in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In addition to more space, they should even offer WLAN and have toilets.
The Rhineland local transport (NVR) and the Rhine-Ruhr transport association (VRR) have now launched a corresponding tender.
100 new S-Bahn trains for Cologne and the Rhineland - with more capacity and comfort
This involves around 100 new trains.
So far, according to NVR information, only around 60 have been running on the Cologne S-Bahn. The concept for the new S-Bahn promises more capacity in the trains (up to 25 percent) and more comfort.
In addition, the railways should “adapt flexibly to different uses”, the NVR reports.
In concrete terms, this means that the trains are to be equipped with so-called modules that make it possible to create more seats or standing room on the train in the short term, depending on requirements.
"Longer routes require more seating capacity, while shorter routes require the highest possible standing room capacity," explains the NVR.
The concept design for the seating groups in the new S-Bahn.
© Neomind
Accordingly, the new S-Bahn trains are designed to be flexible.
The new modules should be able to be converted at short notice and without great effort - for example from seating to standing room or from four to three-seater seating.
So far, the trains had to go to the workshop for such conversions for a longer period of time.
Cologne/Rhineland: toilets and WiFi – new S-Bahn trains should offer more comfort
In addition to the flexible seats and the larger capacity, the focus is primarily on increased comfort.
There should be a toilet in each end car of the new S-Bahn trains.
That would be a real novelty for high-floor S-Bahn trains in Germany.
In addition, the installation of WLAN routers with a strong signal is planned.
The various information for passengers should also be expanded again.
This should make it clear to everyone on the platform where there is still space on the S-Bahn and where it is already particularly crowded.
This information should even be available on a smartphone.
"This will make the transfer of passengers even more comfortable and faster in the future - and the trains will be more punctual as a result," promises the NVR.
A
selection
of what is planned for the
new S-Bahn trains
:
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New seating modules
that can be easily converted (including seats that can be rotated, retracted, folding seats and wheelchair modules with folding seats)
Toilets
in each end car of the new S-Bahn
WLAN reception
Better passenger information
(with notes on full and empty compartments)
150 to 170 meter long
continuous trains (previously two coupled 70 meter trains)
Cologne/Rhineland: New S-Bahn trains should go into operation in 2027 at the earliest
However, it will be a while before the new S-Bahn trains will be in operation.
According to the current plan, it should be between 2027 and 2029.
Then the new trains will gradually replace the old ones.
In the next step, NVR and VRR are looking for a manufacturer for the trains.
"We deliberately made the numerous requirements that a potential applicant has to meet in the tender for the new S-Bahn trains very ambitious," emphasizes Sven Kleine, who is also deputy head of in-house vehicle operations at the NVR.
Kleine emphasizes that the new trains should make a major contribution to the traffic turnaround in the Rhineland.
“To do this, as many people as possible must be motivated to switch from cars to rail.
In order to achieve this, it was important to us in the tender that the new S-Bahn trains offer maximum comfort and functionality," explains Kleine.
The award process for the mega contract should last until the end of 2023.
Greater comfort is also a major topic at Deutsche Bahn at the moment.
Only a few weeks ago, Deutsche Bahn presented plans for a new interior design in the ICE trains.
In the future, these will offer, among other things, a lot of wood, new seats and more sockets.
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