New battery-powered regional trains to replace diesel trains in Germany

ongoing

A zero-carbon future is on the horizon for regional trains between Berlin and the surrounding Brandenburg area. The railway company Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) plans to replace diesel locomotives with the first battery-powered trains from December 2024. It has ordered 31 new Mireo Plus B trains from Siemens for the ten East Brandenburg lines between Berlin and the Polish border. These trains will use the overhead contact lines on electrified sections of the route to charge the batteries and power the trains on non-electrified sections. They are therefore extremely energy efficient and do not generate air pollution, especially compared to the diesel trains currently in use. As soon as the railway’s electricity comes entirely from renewable sources, the trains will run on zero emissions.