Stadler To Expand Rhine-ruhr S-bahn Fleet With Extended Flirt Emus To Meet Rising Demand For Passengers

Published on October 21, 2025

Stadler has secured a important statement from nan Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) to supply further cars for nan Flirt 3XL EMUs operating connected nan Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn web successful northwestern Germany. This contract, aimed astatine addressing nan increasing request for obstruction services successful nan region, will spot 7 existing three-car Flirt trains extended to five-car trains. The task is designed to amended rider capacity and work reliability, pinch completion expected betwixt 2027 and 2029.

Upgrading nan Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn Network

The planned description will adhd intermediate cars to nan Flirt 3XL units, expanding nan full magnitude of each train. The hold will supply importantly much seating capacity, expanding nan number of seats from 180 to 296 per train. This will not only thief accommodate rising rider numbers but besides amended comfort, peculiarly during highest recreation hours. The Flirt 3XL trains are well-suited for S-Bahn services, featuring 10 doors connected each broadside to guarantee soft and speedy boarding for passengers.

The caller extended trains will measurement 106 meters successful magnitude and will beryllium capable to recreation astatine speeds of up to 160 km/h, pinch a powerfulness output of 3 MW. The task is simply a nonstop consequence to nan increasing request for businesslike nationalist carrier successful nan Rhine-Ruhr region, which includes immoderate of Germany’s astir densely populated municipality areas.

Key Routes and Service Expansion

The hold of nan Flirt 3XL trains will use services wrong Sub-Network 1 of nan Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn, which includes captious lines that link awesome cities successful nan region. The circumstantial lines that will use from nan expanded trains include:

• S2: Dortmund – Herne – Essen/Recklinghausen
• S3: Oberhausen – Mülheim – Essen – Hattingen
• S9: Haltern americium See – Bottrop – Essen – Wuppertal – Hagen

In summation to nan S-Bahn routes, nan description will besides effect location lines for illustration RB32, RB40, RE41, and RE49, each of which characteristic a akin stopping shape and work frequency. With nan upgraded trains, nan full Sub-Network 1 will run pinch extended units, providing greater capacity and improving ratio crossed nan network.

Addressing Growing Passenger Demand

The determination to widen nan trains comes arsenic VRR looks to meet nan rising request for nationalist carrier successful nan Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, which includes awesome cities specified arsenic Düsseldorf, Essen, and Dortmund. The S-Bahn web has seen a dependable summation successful rider numbers, and nan description of nan Flirt 3XL fleet is simply a important measurement successful ensuring that nan region’s nationalist carrier infrastructure tin support gait pinch this growth.

Oliver Wittke, a spokesperson for nan VRR Board, noted that nan hold of nan Flirt trains is an basal move to amended nationalist carrier successful nan region, pinch nan caller fleet offering 64% much seats compared to nan existent configuration. This capacity boost is expected to alleviate overcrowding during highest recreation times and thief passengers recreation much comfortably passim nan Rhine-Ruhr area.

Looking Ahead: Future Developments for nan Rhine-Ruhr Network

The description of nan Flirt 3XL trains is portion of a broader strategy to heighten nan Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn web and amended obstruction services successful North Rhine-Westphalia. The caller five-car units will thief summation train frequency, amended connectivity, and supply much options for commuters successful this increasing municipality region.

Future plans see further improvements to different parts of nan location obstruction network, pinch nan extremity of providing much reliable and businesslike services for passengers. This task is simply a portion of Germany’s ongoing committedness to modernising its nationalist carrier infrastructure, addressing nan needs of nan population, and promoting sustainable recreation solutions crossed nan country.