Events in the first half of 2020

Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic

From mid-­­March 2020, we reduced our regional transport services to a stable basic schedule, which represented about 70% of normal services. To this end, DB Group maintained constant dialog with the contracting organizations of the Federal states in order to make appropriate operating decisions based on the current situation. From April 2020, services gradually started up again.

Vehicle conversion measures

Measures to improve our vehicle fleet include the redesign of interiors, the installation of passenger information and video recording systems, and new paint.

• Since 2016, 72 vehicles from a total of 111 vehicles of the 474 series have been converted for the S-­­Bahn (metro) Hamburg.
• A total of 36 vehicles of the 420 series and 238 vehicles of the 423 series are to be refurbished for the S-­­Bahn (metro) Munich. In the first half of 2020, 11 electric multiple units of the 420 series and 39 electric multiple units of the 423 series were modernized. There have been delays for both modernization projects.
• Six additional vehicles of the 425 series were converted for regional railway 27 in the East Rhine network.
• For the Haarachse network, conversion work was completed on 20 double-­­deck cars and five locomotives.
• Twenty of the 27 diesel multiple units from the 642 series were converted for the North West Hesse network.
• For the Hohenlohe—Franken—Untermain network, a total of 35 diesel multiple units from the 642 series were converted.
• Seventeen diesel multiple units from the 648 series were modernized for the Nuremberg diesel network.
• Seven diesel multiple units from the 612 series were modernized for the Allgäu II diesel network.

New vehicle purchases

• For the Rhine-­­Mosel-­­Express, delivery of vehicles of the 1440 series from Alstom was completed and all 26 vehicles were accepted as scheduled. Delivery of the same vehicle type has also begun for the Nuremberg S-­­Bahn (metro); 21 out of a total of 27 vehicles have now been accepted.
• 18 multiple units of the 463 series were ordered by Siemens for the Lausitz network. Following delivery at the end of 2022, the vehicles will be transferred to a leasing company and leased from them.
• After the award of the contract for the Franken—South Thuringia network, a total of 26 double-­­deck electric multiple units of the 1462 series are to be procured from Siemens. Following delivery in 2023/2024, the vehicles will be transferred to a leasing company and leased from them.

Vehicle availability

Vehicle availability improved in the first half of 2020. However, delays and restrictions still affected the delivery of new trains:

• For the S-­­Bahn (metro) Hamburg transport contract, which began in December 2018, so far 69 of the total 82 vehicles of the 490 series have been contractually accepted. An additional five vehicles are being employed within the scope of a transfer of use.
• Acceptance began in the first half of 2020 for PESA Link diesel multiple units from the 633 series for the Allgäu D-­­network transport contract. By the end of June 2020, 13 vehicles were accepted and successively handed over to the leasing company. The last vehicle from the 632 series was successfully delivered for the Dreieich transport contract.
• Delivery of Škoda vehicles ordered for the Nuremberg—Ingolstadt—Munich Express is not expected to be completed until the last quarter of 2020 due to existing defects.
• Not all of the trains ordered for the Rhine Valley network could be made available before the start of operations at the small timetable change. The 15 Siemens vehicles from the 1462 series were delivered in full by the end of June 2020, but have not yet been finally approved. Of the 24 vehicles from the 463 series ordered, two vehicles have been delivered.
• Of the five vehicles planned for the first half of 2020, no deliveries have yet been made for the Rhine-­­Neckar network, network 6b.