“From 2029 we will successively use 102 new multiple units with battery technology that are emission-free – and thus phase out existing diesel fleets,” said Lower Saxony’s transport minister Olaf Lies. “This is an important decision for the mobility turnaround. The new trains offer more space than the vehicles currently in use. In this way, we are creating the conditions for increasing passenger numbers.”
According to Lies, the investment in the new trains will be in the “high three-digit million range.”
The announcement follows LNVG carrying out extensive research into alternatives drives to decarbonize the fleet in Lower Saxony. Trains with hydrogen drives and batteries were considered. According to LNVG, battery trains are cheaper to run.
The first network, which will see diesel trains replaced from 2029, is Heidekreuz. The other networks will be decarbonized gradually between 2029 and 2037. Old diesel trains will be taken out of use at the end of their lifecycle. Vehicles that have not yet reached the usual service life of 30 years will be used for diesel operations on networks that are not yet electrified.
“These younger diesel vehicles have a better environmental balance and will receive the planned complete modernization. The interim solutions also bring improvements for passengers and the environment,” explained Carmen Schwabl, spokeswoman for LNVG management.
Market research by LNVG also revealed that “it is particularly economical” to electrify the Osnabrück – Oldenburg route. “We want Deutsche Bahn to expand the connection with contact wire by 2034,” said Lies. “This not only serves local transport, but generally increases the flexibility of the entire rail system in the event of disruptions.”
LNVG plans to use 27 electric multiple units on this connection. The route between Osnabrück and Bremen will be driven by 19 battery vehicles. Charging islands are to be built on the section to supply the trains with electricity.
In 2020, LNVG made the diesel not to buy any new diesel vehicles. The state-owned company has therefore accelerated the development of alternative drives for regional rail transport and, in particular, initiated the world’s first hydrogen trains. Today they roll between Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, and Buxtehude at the Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser (evb) network.