Desiro ML EMUs For ODEG

ODEG leases from Alpha Trains seven Class 4746.3 four-car Desiro ML EMUs for its Ostseeküste-Ost (Baltic coast-East) network which it operates under a public service obligation for the PTA Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (VMV).

The new trains were ordered by Alpha Trains in March 2019. However, due to delays in awarding the PSO contract (on account of complaints of an unsuccessful bidder), the new EMUs were ordered late than initially expected and ODEG found an interim solution for a transition period by leasing the Desiro ML cityjet EMUs from ÖBB (4746 051 - 056) between December 2019 and March 2020. From the beginning of this year, the latter were gradually replaced by the first Class 4746.3s, which were built at the Siemens Krefeld works using a free production capacity between the Desiro ML EMU batches for ÖBB.

Following delivery in January, the first ODEG train, 4746 301, started regular service on 6 February 2020. Unit 4746 302 arrived in the second half of February and deliveries were temporarily completed with 4746 306 on 31 March 2020. However, all these were only three-car EMUs, as the four-car variant still has to be approved by EUAR (ERA) for operation in Germany and Austria.

The first four-car train built was 4746 307, which was sent from Krefeld to the Siemens Wien-Floridsdorf works for commissioning and necessary authorisation testing, as there is an experienced Siemens’s commissioning team, which dealt with 165 ÖBB cityjets so far. 4746 307 arrived at Wien on 15 March 2020, consisting of 4746 307 (the front end car), 7046 307 (the front intermediate trailer), 7046 807 (the new rear intermediate trailer) and 4746 807 (the rear end car). All cars are registered under the Austrian EVN (A-ODEG). The first photo shows 4746 307 at Wien Hauptbahnhof Autoreisezug station on a test run on 24 June 2020.

After end of the authorisation tests, 4746 307 will be sent as a three-car unit to ODEG for regular service. The conversion into four-car EMUs is planned for next year, so the remaining intermediate trailers will be incorporated into the three-car ODEG EMUs sometime in 2021. Meantime the intermediate car 7046 806 was incorporated in the ÖBB three-car cityjet 4746 096, as shown in the second photo taken at Wien-Heidestrasse on 24 June 2020.

This was for testing purposes to have a second four-car Desiro ML EMU to test them in multiple traction and to have a reference vehicle for EMC and other measurements, which are realised by ÖBB measuring teams on the Nordbahn, Westbahn, Südbahn and Tauernbahn.