DB Regio has ordered 19 multiple units of the FLIRT model series from Stadler Rail based in the St.GallenBodenseeArea. The subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG will be using the extra-long four-car trains on the MoselLux regional network along the River Moselle in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. According to a press release, the FLIRT multiple units are scheduled to enter passenger service on the Moselle line Koblenz-Trier-Perl from the end of 2024. After completion of electrification, the vehicles will also be used on the Moselle wine line between Traben-Trarbach-Bullay.
The trains have room for 507 passengers, 245 of them seating, and 20 seats with greater seat spacing in first class. The fully air-conditioned FLIRTs will have passenger WiFi and an information system. They can transport up to 30 bicycles, two wheelchairs and two prams. The vehicle can be accessed step-free between the first and last door, while the middle carriage is equipped with a disabled toilet and another toilet.
A special feature of the train for the popular hiking route is the one-way principle for bicycles in the two end cars. This allows bicycles to be loaded at one marked door and unloaded at the next one quickly and without any obstacles in the train. There are seven doors on each sidewall.
Just a few months after being awarded the contract for bi-modal trains for the Pfalz network, Stadler will “deliver further innovative units to DB Regio for use in Rhineland-Palatinate and as far as Saarland”, said Jure Mikolčić, CEO Stadler Germany. “The vehicles for the MoselLux network will be developed and built within a short period of time so that they will start passenger service in December 2024.”
