© dpa
The first new BVG subway trains are now being assembled for test operation in Berlin.
By the end of this year, the manufacturing company Stadler plans to deliver the first of a total of 24 vehicles of the new J/JK series to the BVG. Senator for Urban Mobility Bettina Jarasch informed herself about the status of production at the Stadler plant in Berlin-Pankow on Monday (May 02, 2022). "Given the supply chain problems, given the price increases, this is an achievement," Jarasch said during the visit, referring to Stadler's production schedule.
After around one year of test operation, the new subway trains are scheduled to enter regular service in 2024. They will come in two sizes: in the so-called small profile for the subway lines U1 to U4 (JK series) and in the large profile for the lines U5 to U9 (J series). By 2035 at the latest, the BVG fleet is to receive a total of 1000 new Stadler subway cars. Another 500 cars are possible if the financial situation permits, Jarasch emphasized. Of the 1000 vehicles, 376 have been ordered so far. According to BVG Chief Operating Officer Rolf Erfurt, they are to be delivered by around 2025.
When regular service begins, the BVG intends to gradually phase out its older vehicles, some of which have been in service for more than two decades. The acquisition of the new vehicles was preceded by years of litigation. In March 2020, the Berlin Court of Appeals rejected a complaint by the manufacturer Alstom, which had lost the bidding competition for the billion-euro contract.