Alstom and S-Bahn Hamburg have signed a contract for the delivery of 64 additional 490 class S-Bahn trains. The order is an option from a framework contract signed in 2013 and is valued at around € 500 million.

As with previous trains, passengers will enjoy the proven facilities of these three-car electric trains, but with the addition of new improvements to better meet the needs of Hamburg passengers. For example, the middle wagons of the new S-Bahn train will have a multifunctional area with space for bicycles, luggage and dedicated spaces to accommodate passengers with limited mobility.

However, the most significant train innovation will be invisible to passengers. For the first time in Germany, S-Bahn trains will be equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 Release 2 and Automatic Train Operation Technology (ATO). Together, these technologies will ensure a higher density of operation and allow the Hamburg railway company to offer a smoother transport, while increasing the total number of journeys. In addition, the flexibility of the new S-Bahn trains in Hamburg means that they will be coupled with the 82 Class 490 S-Bahn trains already in operation.

“We are delighted that S-Bahn Hamburg continues to rely on 490 series trains. Comfortable vehicles are perfectly adapted to the requirements of the Hamburg S-Bahn network and will convince with a more spatial and flexible layout. Equipping trains with the latest ETCS technology and ATO is a benchmark for the digitization of railway traffic in Hamburg and we are proud to make a decisive contribution to this,” says Müslüm Yakisan, President of Alstom for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

This order marks the first implementation of the ATO by Germany in automation level 2 (GoA 2) for new S-Bahn vehicles. In addition, S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH will receive vehicles that already comply with the latest state-of-the-art signaling technology.