Trains from Hanover for the Munich S-Bahn: toilets upgraded

The Munich S-Bahn has received trains from Hanover - according to a "Spiegel" report, their retrofitting cost millions of euros. Last but not least, the news magazine reported that the toilets had to be upgraded at great expense. As the delivery of new XXL trains for the Munich S-Bahn has been...

, and Elizabeth Wells

2023 December 24 . 11:53 AM

2 min read

An S-Bahn train stands with its doors open on a platform. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Traffic - Trains from Hanover for the Munich S-Bahn: toilets upgraded

The Munich S-Bahn has received trains from Hanover - according to a "Spiegel" report, their retrofitting cost millions. Last but not least, the news magazine reported that the toilets had to be upgraded at great expense. As the delivery of new XXL trains for the Munich S-Bahn has been delayed, Deutsche Bahn is resorting to this interim solution.

DB confirmed on Saturday that 16 S-Bahn trains from Hanover had been converted for use in Munich. Deutsche Bahn did not comment on the costs. According to "Spiegel", the sum amounts to around 30 million euros, two million of which was for the purchase of the trains.

The vehicles had been in service in Hanover for more than 20 years and had therefore been thoroughly modernized, a railroad spokesperson said on request. Among other things, this means new paintwork and new coatings inside and out, 194 new seat cushions, eight double-sided monitors and ten color LED screens per vehicle. In addition, Wi-Fi technology has been installed and technical components replaced. "The expansion of the toilet in favour of a spacious multi-purpose area was therefore just one aspect among countless other aspects of the comprehensive modernization."

Average travel times are short in commuter rail systems. Toilets are susceptible to vandalism, require a lot of maintenance and need an appropriate infrastructure. "For this reason, toilets are not part of the standard equipment in the metropolitan S-Bahns - as in comparable mass transportation systems internationally - and are therefore also not available in the other 273 vehicles in our fleet," it said. An infrastructure set-up for the maintenance and servicing of toilets would not be appropriate for 16 vehicles.

The trains from the north would not be allowed to run on the main line, as this would have required a further complex approval process, the railroad explained. "By deploying them in the outer area, we can use the vehicles previously running there on other lines and thus increase our vehicle reserve."