Germany: The approval was granted by the Federal Railway Authority EBA after a delay caused by changes in the country’s technical regulation. Trial runs and personnel training will begin in the near future.
The transport authority of the Baden-Württemberg state ZVS has ordered 12 three-car Nexio 455 trains from the Spanish manufacturer. The contract, worth €70 mln, was inked in 2017 and provides for the supply of trains to be used on a 17 km commuter line near Stuttgart with sharp curves and gradients of up to 40‰.
The customer required the trains to be built to tram train standards. As a result, a 39 m long trainset with eight axles has a weight of 72.5 t and an axial load of 12.9 tf. It can carry up to 255 passengers, 94 of them seated, and reach a speed of 100 km/h. Its has a steel frame and an aluminium body.
The first batch, produced in 2020–2021, was scheduled to enter service in September 2021. But the changes in federal legislation prevented these trains from being certified as lightweight vehicles. For example, their hydraulic brakes did not meet the railway’s requirements. The problem was solved by reconfiguring the brake software without redesigning the brakes. Improvements, further testing and approval took several years.
All the CAF Nexio EMUs are expected to be in service by the middle of the year. Until then, passengers will be using both diesel and electric trains with a temporary speed limit of 80%.
