Regional transport in Berlin and Brandenburg is to be completely emission-free by 2037. On Wednesday, Berlin’s Senator for Transport, Bettina Jarasch (Greens), Brandenburg’s Minister of Infrastructure, Guido Beermann, and Alexander Kaczmarek, Group Representative for Deutsche Bahn, presented the joint diesel phase-out strategy for the Berlin Brandenburg transport association (VBB). In it, the partners list for the first time comprehensively when the individual sub-networks in the network should be able to do without railcars with combustion engines.
In the future, battery-electric trains will be used on the Prignitz-Express route. This is the conclusion of an expert report as part of i2030, the joint major project of Berlin, Brandenburg, the federal government and Deutsche Bahn to expand the rail network in the capital region (T+). “I am pleased that the Prignitz-Express will soon be able to run on battery power,” said Transport Senator Jarasch. In order to achieve the climate goals, more alternatives to fossil drive types would have to be used on the rails as well.
In order to determine which drive is better suited for the route, the planning company Ramboll compared battery trains with hydrogen trains in a study commissioned by the VBB. The battery vehicles are therefore significantly cheaper over a period of 30 years. At 518 million euros, the calculated costs are 122 million euros below the amount that would be necessary for the operation of hydrogen-fueled trains, according to the report.
On the route known as the Prignitz Express, the RE6 and RB55 lines run from Wittenberge via Neuruppin and Wittstock/Dosse to Hennigsdorf and from there with a curve via Spandau to the center of Berlin. Today it is the longest rail connection in Brandenburg without an overhead line – and has therefore been dependent on diesel trains so far. In order to do without diesel trains in the future, however, the entire route would no longer have to be electrified, explained the railway representative Kaczmarek. For operation with battery railways, it is sufficient if only sections are equipped with electrical lines. “The train then hops from one island to the next,” said Kaczmarek.
The battery trains are to be used from December 2028
So far, however, it has not been possible to do without the overhead lines entirely, according to the result of the report. The total distance from Berlin to Wittenberge “would not be possible with the rail vehicles available on the market without additional reloading options during the journey”. The concept therefore envisages installing a contact wire on the almost 96-kilometer sections between Velten and Neuruppin West as well as Wittstock and Wittenberge. The trains covered a good 36 kilometers between Neuruppin West and Wittstock and south of Velten with the energy from their battery storage.
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Ideally, the battery trains should be used from December 2028, when operations will restart after the upcoming tender for the sub-network. The prerequisite is that the new overhead lines will be in place by then. The section between Neuruppin and Hennigsdorf is to be expanded by 2026 so that trains can run on the route every 30 minutes. “The route connects important middle centers in Brandenburg,” said Infrastructure Minister Beermann. This should succeed in a climate-neutral manner and with the most modern technologies. “This is no longer about castles in the air, but about market-ready alternatives.”
The new world record for battery trains is 224 kilometers
The manufacturer Stadler showed how advanced the technology is, providing its first battery-powered train for a special trip from Berlin-Gesundbrunnen to Hennigsdorf. “This is a very tried and tested vehicle,” said Jure Mikolcic, CEO of Stadler Germany. The vehicle has been registered since 2018. It is designed for a distance of 80 kilometers in battery operation. This would bridge 80 percent of the network gaps in Germany. In fact, the train can do much more. In December 2021, according to Mikolcic, a new world record for battery trains was set with a distance of 224 kilometers. “Write out the use of the vehicles, technically it will succeed,” said the manager.
From December 2024, the first 31 battery trains will also run on the VBB in the Ostbrandenburg network – but then from the manufacturer Siemens. At the same time, the Heidekrautbahn started operating with seven hydrogen trains.
