No problem for the train, emphasizes the experienced engine driver Michael Ruschke. “This is a wonderful alternative for so-called branch lines,” he reports. “While driving, you can charge the batteries if there is an overhead line. And if necessary, you remove the pantograph and continue driving in battery mode.” This prototype was built in 2017 and has been in use since 2018. “We’ve already managed 224 kilometers in one go in battery mode.”
Quiet, barrier-free, economical
The Thuringian Transport Minister Susanna Karawanskij (left) is also pleased. “But we don’t need such a record rush.” But Thuringia needs an idea of how to get an alternative to diesel drives on secondary routes without overhead lines. Because diesel is not only expensive, but also noisy and relatively inefficient. “We need 80 to 100 kilometers. We know that in Thuringia we also have to deal with mountains and inclines. We already know from previous tests that this is possible.” The trains have to be quiet and barrier-free – and that’s the case here. The Flirt Akku has around 150 seats and just as much space for standing passengers. 140 kilometers per hour are possible.
Erfurter-Bahn boss Michael Hecht emphasizes that in Schleswig-Holstein the vehicle manufacturer Stadler was able to win a tender with more than 50 vehicles with its battery-powered vehicles because the drive type is the cheapest – especially in the long term. It is not yet clear whether this saving will mean that the state of Thuringia will be able to order more regional trains. The Minister of Transport did not want to commit to that. It is too unclear how much money Thuringia will make available for this in the future and how much so-called regionalization funds will flow from Berlin for this purpose.
Unplanned stop between Arnstadt and Ilmenau
Then the journey suddenly comes to an end. Annoying that after more than 20,000 kilometers of test drives, the onward journey is delayed in Thuringia of all places. In Plaue, south of Arnstadt, the train stopped and didn’t go any further. A compressor keeps hissing. Technicians run stressed through the train. A compressed air problem with which the brakes would not work. That’s what the operations manager of the Erfurter Bahn, Thomas Grewing, says: “Unfortunately, we have to cancel the Ilmenau program. We had a small technical problem. It’s not related to the battery. A compressed air issue.” This is also the case with the Stadler company. Later, on the train, you hear a few voices that see a connection with the battery, although it is sufficiently charged. This cannot be clarified more precisely until the early afternoon.
Erfurt Bahn boss Michael Hecht actually sees the battery trains as having an advantage over the old diesel technology. “There are far fewer wearing parts,” he says. That saves costs. Battery trains will most likely be used – they are suitable for all routes that are not electrified. But of course the workshops would have to be converted, because up to now his company has been working with small diesel railcars, which were also supplied by Stadler. There will probably also have to be charging facilities at some points along the route. Stadler sales manager Steffen Obst says that the trains are still new, so there are still small teething problems.
Failed presentation – railway company angry
During the waiting time in Plaue, Environment Minister Bernhard Stengele (Greens) said goodbye. He also wanted to see the train and disappeared with an employee by bike to an appointment nearby. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Susanna Karawanskij boards a Deutsche Bahn diesel railcar back to Erfurt.
After a very ample hour, it’s time to go back to Erfurt. It would be too late for a trip to Ilmenau, the tracks are no longer free. And although the train is moving again, the damage has been done, the employees of the Erfurter Bahn are angry with Stadler that their presentation didn’t go as they had imagined. Luckily, there is still a little time to make the system more reliable before the possible commissioning in 2028.