Siemens lands EUR 1.7 billion contract to build Rhine-Ruhr express

March 26

14:00 2015

Siemens was officially awarded EUR 1.7 billion record-breaking order from the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) to supply 82 Desiro HC electric multiple units for the new Rhine-Ruhr Express and to provide maintenance services for a period of 32 years. This is the largest regional rail transport order ever won by Siemens in Germany.

"This is a huge success for Siemens' rail business. The project will secure existing high-quality jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia and create new ones. Our state-of-the-art train is good news for millions of commuters along the Rhine and Ruhr rivers in Germany's most densely populated region," said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of the Siemens Mobility Division.

The company will not only supply the new trains, but also service them for 32 years. A service order of this scale is a first for the German rail industry. Siemens will build a maintenance facility in Dortmund-Eving, where up to four trains can be serviced simultaneously and around 100 new specialists will work in multiple shifts. Plans for the facility foresee a vehicle hall, specialized workshops, an outside washing station and stabling tracks for up to ten trains. Overall, Siemens will then have invested around EUR 150 million in its rail technology sites in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Praised as the region's project of the century, the RRX will help ease the steadily worsening traffic conditions along the Rhine and Ruhr when delivery of the trains begins in 2018. The first RRX trains are scheduled to enter service by late 2018 and operate in the region at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour.

The Siemens order includes newly developed high-capacity, double-decker trains from the proven Desiro family. Each train consists of four cars, will be 105 meters long and have a seating capacity of 400. During operation, two units will be connected to form an eight-car express with 800 seats.

Think Railways