French manufacturer Alstom has signed a contract worth more than 60 million euros to install ETCS and ATO on 82 trains of the Hamburg S-Bahn’s 490 series. Thanks to both technologies, the trains can operate with automatic driving in GoA2.
The modernisation will be carried out in two phases: until 2029, Alstom will equip four prototypes at its plant in Hennigsdorf, Berlin, and provide the technical equipment for DB to adapt the other 78 trains. In addition, the contract provides certification for the German rail network.
This initiative is key to equipping the 490 series with these technologies, as the remaining 64 trainsets left the factory with both.
Thanks to ETCS and ATO, rail transport capacity and efficiency will increase while energy consumption is reduced. “Digitalisation and automation are essential for green mobility. This project marks a milestone in the transition to sustainable transport,” said Tim Dawidowsky, Alstom’s regional president.
Jan Schröder, director of S-Bahn Hamburg, emphasised that this transformation sets new standards in rail service quality and capacity and thanked Hamburg and its mobility authority for their commitment.
