Bernd Buchholz, state minister of transport in Schleswig-Holstein. (picture alliance/dpa)
From the end of 2022, battery-powered electric trains will be rolling on railway lines in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. On Wednesday, the state parliament's economic and financial committee approved the company that Nah.sh, the local transport authority, had selected to be awarded the contract. "With this contract, Schleswig-Holstein will be a nationwide pioneer in rail transport", said the state transport minister, Bernd Buchholz, a member of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). The international railway manufacturer Stadler is to be awarded the contract for the 55 new battery-powered trains.
According to information obtained by dpa, the costs to the state for the "Flirt Akku" trains will amount to almost 80 million euros annually. The money is to come from the regionalization funds for rail traffic. The electric trains are to have 124 seats, and will be wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned and equipped with WiFi.
The batteries are mounted on the roof of the train, and will have a range of up to 150 kilometers. They are to be recharged on the overhead lines, especially in the Kiel, Neumünster, Flensburg, Lübeck and Lüneburg railway stations and on the Osterrönfeld-Jübek line.
The trains are to be pre-financed by a company, which will be sought via a tender process and should make the trains available to railway companies in the North and East networks over the next 30 years. "We are contributing to the necessary electrification of rail traffic here without having to invest in expensive overhead lines," Buchholz said. The solution is also economical. "Calculated over the investment period, we will be somewhat better off than with diesel-powered railcars."
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