Bombardier Transportation will supply another 48 TALENT 2 trains to Deutsche Bahn (DB) AG. This recent order amounts to approximately 200 million euros ($272 million US) and has brought the number of TALENT 2 vehicles ordered by DB up to 176. The new trains will run on Berlin-Brandenburg’s transport network (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg – VBB). They will be operated by DB Regio, which will cover a large part of VBB’s transport network using the TALENT 2 trains as of December 2011.

Dr. Klaus Baur, Chairman of the Managing Board of Bombardier Transportation Germany, said “We are very proud that the TALENT 2 will also contribute to the transportation concept for the capital’s new international airport. DB Regio has now ordered 176 trains for service in eight federal states from the framework contract. This shows how well this vehicle system can be adapted to different requirements.”

The vehicles for VBB will operate on the routes Magdeburg – Brandenburg – Berlin – Frankfurt/Oder – Eisenhuttenstadt – Cottbus and Dessau – Belzig – Berlin – Wunsdorf-Waldstadt and later Senftenberg. On the route RE 9 the TALENT 2 trains will also be servicing the capital’s new airport, Berlin Brandenburg International.

The fleet consists of 26 three-car and 22 five-car vehicles. They will be delivered between 2011 and 2012. As station platforms within the VBB-network vary, 2 three-car trains and 19 five-car trains will have an entry platform height of 600 mm. The remaining trains will have an entry platform height of 800 mm.

Back in February 2007, Deutsche Bahn AG and Bombardier Transportation had signed a framework agreement to supply up to 321 vehicles. The previous seven call-offs comprising 128 electrical multiple units are intended to be used:

- for the Nuremberg suburban rail network
- on the Moseltalbahn between Koblenz and Trier/Perl
- on the Cottbus-Leipzig route
- for the Rhein-Sieg-Express between Aachen and Siegen
- on the Franconia electrical network (E-Netz) between Nuremberg, Bamberg and Wurzburg as well as between the cities of Sonneberg, Saalfeld and Jena in South Thuringia
- for the Central Hesse Express on the lines between Frankfurt/Main – Giessen – Treysa/Dillenburg as well as between Hanau – Frankfurt – Giessen
- on the Saxonia line between Dresden, Riesa and Leipzig.

A major feature of the recently developed TALENT 2 Electrical Multiple Unit platform (the 442 series) is its modular concept which includes a high degree of standardisation. The trains offer an almost unlimited level of flexibility in terms of configuration, along with cost-effectiveness and cost transparency. The innovative, modular construction principle allows for countless variants of the same train type. The two- to six-car trains can be equipped with a wide variety of technical modules, depending on whether they are to be used as commuter or regional express trains.

A scalable traction output provided by the BOMBARDIER MITRAC propulsion and control system makes the train particularly energy-efficient and easily adaptable to the frequent acceleration and braking phases in the commuter sector, as well as to the demands of the regional rail network.