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BVG Class J

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

BVG Class J
In service2024 (planned)
ManufacturerStadler Rail
Constructed2023-2025
Number under construction236
Number in service0
Formation2- to 6-car sets
Operator(s)Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Specifications
Floor height875 mm (34.4 in) / 950 mm (37 in) mm (IK17 and IK20)
Entrylevel
Doors6 per car
Maximum speed70 km/h (43 mph)
Electric system(s)750 V DC
Current collection methodThird rail
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge

The BVG Class J is a class of rolling stock being built for the large-profile lines of the Berlin U-Bahn. It was ordered to replace the BVG Class F, starting in 2024.

History[edit]

After the BVG had received the last trains of the BVG Class H in 2002, Berlin was unable to procure any new vehicles for the large profile network of the subway network for years for financial reasons. Trains from the BVG Class HK were only procured for the small profile until 2007 and from 2015 the BVG Class IK. In the mid-2010s, the U-Bahn fleet was therefore significantly outdated, the average age in the large profile was 26 years, in the small profile 28 years, the oldest trains dated from 1964. New trains were therefore provisionally installed from 2015 of the IK series are equipped with additional running boards to bridge the gap in order to be able to use them on large profile sections.

Procurement[edit]

Due to the increasing number of passengers and the aging of the vehicle fleet, the Berlin Senate approved the BVG in 2016 to procure a new generation of vehicles for the small and large profile network of the subway. In October 2016, the BVG put the procurement out to tender throughout Europe. A total of up to 440 cars for the small profile and 1060 for the large profile should be procured. In the tender, the manufacturer Stadler prevailed against the consortium of Siemens and Bombardier as well as the French manufacturer Alstom and was awarded the contract in May 2019. Alstom lodged an objection before the Berlin Public Procurement Chamber and, after the objection was rejected, before the Berlin Court of AppealLegal action. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the lawsuit on March 20, 2020. The BVG was thus able to place the order with Stadler. Stadler built new workshops in its Pankow plant especially for the order, for which the company invested €70 million.

In a first call-off, the BVG ordered 376 cars from Stadler. According to the BVG nomenclature, the two vehicle types are designated as the J series (for the large profile) and the JK series (for the small profile). The trains are manufactured by Stadler Pankow and will be delivered to BVG from 2022. In the fall of 2022, 12 cars each of the two series are to be delivered and subjected to extensive test operations. After approval, series delivery is scheduled to start at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. Initially, 140 cars from the JK series and 236 cars from the J series are scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025. Previously, the BVG from June 2021 in the German Museum of Technology Berlin (DTM) .JK series mock-up on display to test and finalize interior and driver's cab design in detail.

Part of the order placed with Stadler is also a spare parts guarantee for 32 years after delivery of the last vehicle. A minimum purchase quantity of 606 cars of both series is contractually agreed. A total of 756 cars from the J series and 262 cars from the JK series have already been financed via the transport contract between the state of Berlin and the BVG. The 756 J-series cars are to be delivered by 2030. There is also an option for a further 304 J-series cars, which are scheduled for delivery by 2033 if the option is exercised, and 178 JK-series cars, which could come by 2035.

Description[edit]

As with the previous series, a train of the series consists of up to six cars, which are designed as end cars with a driver's cab at one end and a transition at the other end, or as a middle car with transitions on both sides. Continuous two-, four- or six-car trains can be formed. The planned 236 cars of the J series will be delivered in the form of 52 two-car and 33 four-car trains. As many components as possible are designed to be of the same type as the JK series in order to keep spare parts costs low.

The car body is made of aluminum and, like the previous series, has three double doors on each side. These have a width of 1300 mm. Compared to the IK series, the door pillars are significantly narrower, making the interior appear more spacious and wider. There is only one wide window between the doors in order to have enough space in the interior for the monitors for passenger information. A two-car train should have a total of 40 seats and 174 standing places (4 people per square meter), a four-car train 112 seats and 347 standing places. The J series received a passenger information system with monitors and exterior displays on the front and side walls.

The engines for the series come from Traction Systems Austria (TSA) from Wiener Neudorf. After delivery, the series will be the most modern in the large profile network of the Berlin U-Bahn.

Old stuff[edit]

The first 236 wide gauge carriages are due to be delivered between the end of 2023 and 2025.

Class J trains will be a combination of end and middle carriages that can form two, four, and six carriage walk-through vehicles. The trains will offer passengers spacious multi-purpose areas in the end carriages and a large number of seats in the middle carriages. Three doors on each side and large door areas will further ensure quick boarding and alighting.