Revolutionizing Rail: Bayern's Strategy to Phase Out Diesel with Innovative Battery Trainsets

GERMANY: Bayern is gearing up to transition from diesel to battery and electric traction across 462 km of its non-electrified rail lines by the year 2036.

The plan includes installing overhead electrification along a stretch of 210 km. The local railway authority, BEG, is set to acquire various types of trains, including electric multiple-units and hybrid battery-electric models.This marks a shift from an earlier concept that involved a more complex battery-hydrogen-electric tri-mode system.

A feasibility study conducted by Enotrac, SMA + Partner, and hynes revealed that combining battery and hydrogen systems in one vehicle would be overly intricate and risky. By opting out of hydrogen infrastructure growth, significant costs can also be avoided.

The total investment for this initiative is projected at €365 million, with Bayern looking for federal funding support. Later this year, DB InfraGO will take charge of planning the necessary infrastructure upgrades.

Total Electrification

The study advocates for fully electrifying seven currently diesel-operated routes to facilitate operations using electric multiple-units:

RS 5 Ulm – Aalen (part of the Regio-S-Bahn Donau-Iller project backed by Baden-Württemberg);
RS 51 Ulm – Langenau;
RE 50 Ulm – Aalen;
RS 7 Ulm – memmingen;
RS 71 Ulm – weißenhorn;
RE 75 Ulm – Kempten – Oberstdorf;
RB 83 Augsburg – Gessertshausen – Langenneufnach.

An extension will allow electrification on the Neu-Ulm to Kempten line all the way to Oberstdorf later on. Initially planned charging stations will support battery-electric services in both Oberstdorf and Kempten.

The Gessertshausen-Langenneufnach route is also set for reopening with electrification included in its plans.

Batteries Take Charge

The report suggests implementing battery-electric traction on additional lines were electrification could occur:

Augsburg-Hochzoll – Obergriesbach;
Augsburg main station – Bobingen;
Buchloe – Biessenhofen;
Weilheim – Peißenberg.

This plan includes building charging stations in Füssen and Krumbach along with a substation in Immenstadt dedicated to supplying traction electricity.