The timeline

Award of contract

S-Bahn Berlin is officially awarded the contract for operating the Ring/Southeast subnetwork. It thus remains the operator of Berlin’s ring route and south-eastern feeder lines until the end of 2035.

Lab testing a model carriage

Ten months after the contract signing, the Schöneweide S-Bahn workshop welcomes a walkable, 1:1 scale model of the future carriages. While the carriage body is made from wood, the interior features mostly original parts, including seats, handrails, lighting, and floors. Some doors are fully functional and equipped with the required acoustic and visual signals. Other functions, like passenger information displays, service intercoms, and air conditioning, are modelled for the purpose. 

This mock-up is used for a four-week laboratory test featuring 400 representative passengers as well as representatives of stakeholder associations. Feature requests and ratings of the train’s exterior and interior design as well its facilities and functionalities are recorded by questionnaire. These results are factored into the new series’ ongoing development process. More than 2,000 would-be participants had applied to take part in this lab test. 

Communications technology

On 6 March 2018, the new passenger information system (RIS) is officially previewed and demonstrated during a media workshop visit. The system features tried-and-tested technology that is already in use on ICE3 trains. 

Integrated into the upper part of the window, this system show passengers the train’s current route as a linear string. It also displays real-time information on arrival times at the respective stops. What’s more, the S-Bahn Berlin control centre can also use the new RIS for direct announcements inside the train.

Commissioning

Although the first 484 series half train looks pretty much finished on leaving assembly, it is not yet ready to drive by itself. In a few days, it will be transferred to the Stadler site in Velten where final commissioning brings the train to life. 

Test operation

Before the new trains are cleared for their debut test runs on the Berlin S-Bahn network, the carriages undergo thorough testing at the world‘s largest test centre for rail vehicles, the Siemens Mobility Test and Validation Center (PCW) at Wegberg-Wildenrath (North Rhine-Westphalia). Altogether, the new series completes 160,000 test kilometres. 

Transfer to Schöneweide

On 12 June, a 483 series quarter train (train number 483 004) is transferred from the Velten Stadler plant to the Schöneweide S-Bahn workshop. Over the following weeks, train drivers get acquainted with the “new one“ during several tests and training sessions.

End of climate channel testing

A four-carriage pre-production train completes its 12-week testing program at the world’s longest climatic wind tunnel of the Rail Tec Arsenal (RTA) in Vienna. Here, the train is exposed to extreme temperatures ranging from -25 degrees Celsius all the way up to +45 degrees Celsius. These tests are done to verify that doors continue to work and that gap reducers continue to extend and retract seamlessly even during strong snowfall or when the collectors ice over. 

Round(s) of introduction

A new six-carriage S-Bahn train covered in colourful decals has been making the rounds in Berlin and Brandenburg since May, greeting future passengers with slogans like “It’s me, your new ride” or “Still in training”. This long-term test is scheduled to cover 40,000 kilometres of track or 800–1,000 kilometres a day.

Cleared for service

In October 2020, the new trains receive official authorisation for passenger transport by Germany’s Federal Rail Authority. 

Field test successfully completed

The first ten pre-production trains have successfully completed their passenger trial run on the S47. The pre-series trains are now starting regular service.

Launch on the S8

Since 14 October 2022, further trains have joined the active fleet on the S8 line between (Wildau-)Grünau and Birkenwerder. On the first day, Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey and Brandenburg's State Secretary for Transport Rainer Genilke did not miss the opportunity to take a look inside the driver's cab.

Our new series is complete!

The scheduled delivery of the 106th and last vehicle is celebrated by representatives from politics, business, VBB and S-Bahn Berlin at Charlottenburg S-Bahn station.