Transportation Authority VMS has ordered 11 CoradiaContinental BEMUs.
Alstom has unveiled the battery-electric composite unit of Koradia Continental, which supplies the Middle Saxony State Transport Agency (VMS), at Chemnitz Central Station in Germany. From 2024, the train will run on the 80km route between Chemnitz and Leipzig.
VMS has placed an order for 11 BEMUs with Alstom for €100 million in 2020 and has exercised its option in a contract signed in 2014 for the supply of 29 Corradia Continental EMUs. Alstom also plans to keep his new BEMU until 2032, with the option to supply up to 12 more trains.
The Koradia Continental BEMU has a range of 120 km and a top speed of 160 km/h with a lithium-ion battery. Traction current can also be drawn from overhead lines on electrified lines.
The three-car train is 56 meters long and can seat 150 passengers each. Alstom says its high-performance lithium-ion battery solution ensures catenary-free operation without compromising performance or passenger comfort.
Production of the new BEMU fleet for VMS takes place at Alstom’s Salzgitter and Mannheim sites in Germany. The battery traction system was supplied by French company Tarbes, Alstom’s global hub for green traction systems.
“We will be able to operate one of the most important railway lines in transport areas that are already electrified with electricity,” said VMS Managing Director Matthias Korda.
“A clean, green and comfortable way to travel between Chemnitz and Leipzig is the result of the interplay of local ownership as a transport authority and innovative technology from Alstom.”
“Alstom’s goal is to reduce emissions and pollution through catenary-free operation and become a world leader in sustainable mobility,” said Musram Jaxan, Alstom’s president of the Germany-Austria-Switzerland (DACH) region. That’s it,” he said.
“The presentation of the first battery-powered train developed by Alstom is an important step in this direction.”
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