Stadler and VRR agree on capacity expansion for the S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr
posted on 14th Oct 2025 10:43
On 13 October 2025, VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association) is responding to the steadily increasing passenger volume in Teilnetz 1 (Subnetwork 1) of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn with a targeted capacity expansion. As part of a new project, seven of the existing 17 three-car Class 3427 FLIRT 3 XL EMUs (3427 001 to 017) are to be extended to five-car ones by installing two additional intermediate cars.
Stadler received the contract to implement this project in the summer and is now developing a customized solution for the conversion, which is planned for the period from 2027 to 2029. After completion of the project, Teilnetz 1 will exclusively operate five-car 160 km/h FLIRTs, which will offer 296 seats compared to 180 in the three-car units, i. e. 64 % more seats. With a length of approximately 106 m and 10 entrance doors per side, the five-car FLIRTs will have a power output of 3,000 kW. The project has already begun, engineering work at Stadler is underway to ensure smooth implementation.
Subnetwork 1 includes heavily frequented lines such as:
- S 2 Dortmund - Herne - Essen/Recklinghausen,
- S 3 Oberhausen - Mülheim - Essen - Hattingen,
- S 9 Haltern am See - Bottrop - Essen - Wuppertal - Hagen,
- RB 32, RB 40, RE 41, RE 49: supplementary lines with S-Bahn-like frequency and stop structure.
S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr is one of the largest S-Bahn networks in Germany, with over 475 km of track and more than 180 stations. It connects central Ruhr metropolises and is a backbone of public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia.