Baden-Württemberg to receive EUR 339m for regional ETCS
Baden-Württemberg will receive around EUR 339m in federal funding to equip regional and S-Bahn fleets with ETCS as part of the Stuttgart Digital Node programme.
The Federal Railway Authority (EBA) has approved EUR 195m for the state rolling stock agency SFBW and around EUR 144m for the S-Bahn Stuttgart fleet, overseen by Verband Region Stuttgart.
Baden-Württemberg says it will add just over EUR 70m in state funding to complete SFBW’s retrofit and fitment programme, taking total SFBW vehicle costs to close to EUR 270m.
ETCS retrofit of 118 existing EMUs
For SFBW, the programme covers ETCS retrofit of 118 existing EMUs (Flirt 3 and Talent 3). It also includes equipping 130 new Coradia Max double-deck trains with ETCS, ATO GoA2 and provision for the future FRMCS radio standard.
The state says the S-Bahn Stuttgart will receive funding to fit ETCS to 215 existing vehicles.
The ministry says retrofit work started in 2021, with first-of-class development in Hennigsdorf and series retrofit of SFBW vehicles in Villeneuve. New Coradia Max units are being built in Katowice and will be delivered with the digital systems installed.
What to watch: The Stuttgart Digital Node programme depends on fleets being delivered and retrofitted on time. Baden-Württemberg says SFBW’s ETCS retrofit is due to be completed by end-2026.