S-Bahn Stuttgart Class 423 And 430 EMUs To Be Modernised

On 8 December 2020, Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a contract by Deutsche Bahn to modernise its S-Bahn Stuttgart fleet of Class 423 and 430 EMUs. 

The contract worth around 103 million EUR includes the provision of engineering services to redesign the interior, along with the prototype modernisation of three units of each class and the delivery of respective material for the remaining batch vehicles, to be rebuilt by S-Bahn Stuttgart works. The project development will take place at Bombardier's Mannheim and Hennigsdorf sites, while the prototype modernisations will be carried out in Hennigsdorf.

"The fleet currently consists of 157 EMUs, many of which have been in operation in the Stuttgart area for more than two decades. They cover in total more than 23 million km annually and bring more than 400,000 passengers daily. We look forward to making them fit and more comfortable for decades to come, and to enhance their interior to be similar to that of the 58 Class 430 trains, which were ordered in 2018 and whose prototypes are currently being built in Hennigsdorf. They will expand the Stuttgart fleet to 215 EMUs,” said François Muller, Head of Services at Bombardier Transportation in Germany.

The new interior is characterised by optimising of the various vehicle areas. In addition, the trains will be equipped with Wi-Fi, a modern passenger information and infotainment system combined with electrical sockets for charging mobile devices. Furthermore, the existing multi-purpose areas will be supplemented by two additional multi-purpose compartments optimised for bicycles and equipped with tip-up seats and perch consoles to lean on.

In the future, passengers with bicycles will be able to access parking spaces from two entrance doors. An automatic passenger counting system will also be fitted so that, among other things, a targeted forecast of the utilisation of trains will be possible in the future.

We asked Bombardier how many Class 423 and 430 EMUs are now in the S-Bahn Stuttgart 157-strong fleet, when the prototypes are scheduled for delivery, when the batch refurbishment is expected to start and finish, and if the passenger capacity of the modernised EMUs will be changed. We are waiting for reply.