A new lease of life
for our trains



Get in and find out what’s new

Projekt Langlebigkeit der S-Bahn Berlin

Einfach wischen und die neuen Features mit Klick auf die „+“ Symbole entdecken!

Black access doors

Black access doors

Black is beautiful. Not only that, but our new jet-black doors also help people with limited vision. Now, the next available boarding option is much easier to spot, even from afar. Fun fact: This black door design was also inspired by the brand-new 483/484 S-Bahn series.

New flooring

New flooring

After approx. 20 years of trusty use, the constant wear of countless feet has left its mark on the series 481 wooden floors. As part of our comprehensive series 481 overhaul, we are completely replacing these old floors with a style that matches the new series 483/484 look.

Wheelchair pictograms

Wheelchair pictograms

Up to now, the only markers indicating the 481 series multi-purpose compartments were large bicycle pictograms on the windows. Our new wheelchair pictogram, stencilled both on the train’s exterior and on the carriage floor, clearly draws attention to available wheelchair bays. Inside the train, a yellow, high-contrast paint ensures extra visibility.

Designed to match the new S-Bahn look

Designed to match the new S-Bahn look

Time for a new paint job: Although our series 481 trains still looked the part, they needed a new finish to meet the required technical specs. To go with the times, their refreshed look mirrors the new S-Bahn design with its stronger ochre, bolder red and striking black doors, once again modelled after our new 483/484 S-Bahn series.

Tactile door opening buttons

Tactile door opening buttons

Open, S-Bahn! As part of its comprehensive overhaul, the 481 series not only receives new doors, but also a new generation of tactile, illuminated door opening buttons that are easier to find and identify if you’re visually impaired.

Girder restoration

Girder restoration

Ideally, you won’t even notice this particular renewal measure since it happens deep inside in the S-Bahn carriage’s body. Since moisture can seep into the tiniest cracks – especially during wet, wintry weather and inside the train’s boarding area – all off the carriages’ steel body girders need to be checked for rust and corrosion and restored, where necessary.

CCTV retrofit

CCTV retrofit

For a safer ride: So far, the series 481 S-Bahn trains have not featured CCTV monitoring. All this will change with the installation of 5,000 security cameras to monitor the carriage interiors. Good to know: All images recorded by these cameras can only be requested by the federal police in order to prevent and investigate crimes.

Additional handrails

Additional handrails

Riding a train should never be a balancing act, but sometimes, during choppier rides, there might be nothing grip within easy reach. So, we’ve listened to our customers and added some welcome assistance for extra stability. As part of our longevity project, we’re fitting each quarter train with an additional 14 horizontal stainless-steel handrails.

New seats and upholstery

New seats and upholstery

Bye-bye, pale green! You’ve probably come across this dark blue check seat design before – on a Deutsche Bahn Regio train. Just like the new 483 and 484 series carriages, scheduled to join the Berlin S-Bahn network in 2021, the newly restored 481-series carriages will sport the signature Regio colours.

Romano in the driver’s seatRomano

Romano in the driver’s seatRomano

New controls and more comfortable seats. Romano certainly feels at home in the refurbished series’ driver’s cab.

In September 2004, S-Bahn Berlin took delivery of its last series 481 quarter train. Back then, the new stock had radically rejuvenated the existing fleet, dropping the average age of active vehicles from 55 (!) to six years.

481 series powered carriage

Our 481 series

The majority of our fleet is made up of 500 quarter-length trains of the 481 series, which first came into service in 1996.

In 2019, we started future-proofing this series, the backbone of our Berlin S-Bahn fleet. As part of the Project Longevity renewal programme, all series 481 quarter trains are put through rigorous testing at the Schöneweide S-Bahn workshop and depot. By mid-October 2023, 300 retrofitted vehicles had already been sent back on the track.

 

Wie neu: Der 300. Viertelzug der Baureihe 481 hat seine Frischzellenkur abgeschlossen.

Another milestone of our Project Longevity renewal programme has been reached: On 6 October 2023, the quarter-length train 481-249 left the Fleet Maintenance Depot in Schöneweide after its successful retrofitting.

 

We’re especially proud that all tasks are completed in-house by our own S-Bahn-technicians. Until 2024, approximately 360 trained professionals at our Schöneweide location will spend a good third of their working hours on nothing but Project Longevity. A total of 50,000 engineering hours will be required.

At the heart of these retrofitting measures: a thorough inspection of the railcar bodies with special focus on entry-area girders, corrosion damage, and driving switch or electrical switching device replacements. Since this requires prior removal of all interior fixtures and fittings, we decided to go all in and completely replace everything inside, from seating and partitions right down to the flooring.

Few people know that there are rain gutters above all S-Bahn doors. All of these will also be replaced as part of the comprehensive retrofit.

Matthias Stauske Project and Site Consultant for the Head of Maintenance

What’s more, the overhauled carriages are also fitted with additional horizontal handrails and new, tactile door opening buttons.

Brand-new CCTV monitoring inside the train will enhance the sense of ride safety.

 

The 481 series will also receive a sleek new look inspired by the new 483/484 series S-Bahn design, upping the ochre and dialling down the red. Visually impaired passengers will appreciate the black paint finish of the doors, while other passengers with physical disabilities benefit from special pictograms highlighting the position of wheelchair bays inside the multi-purpose carriages.

190916_Fensterrahmen_Vorlage_Ani

Investing in the future

The complete overhaul of 309 vehicles is made possible by a €155 million investment by the German federal states (as part of the Interim Agreement).

BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
480 series twin unit

480 Series

Driver’s cabs at both ends of each quarter train make our 70 series 480 quarter trains especially versatile.

485 series train

485 Series

Our oldest train series, 485, has been in service since 1987. To this day, 22 quarter trains continue to run on Berlin’s tracks.

Introducing the new S-Bahn Berlin series look

New S-Bahn trains for Berlin

Quieter, brighter, more comfortable: our new S-Bahn has made the S47 a smoother ride since early 2021.