Briefing
Alstom is postponing delivery of new double-decker regional trains for Germany until 2028. The manufacturer announced this in October 2026. The trains were originally due to enter service gradually from December 2026 .
The orders affected were placed by several transport authorities. The Lower Saxony Regional Transport Authority confirmed that the 34 trains intended for the Bremen/Lower Saxony Express Network will now not be able to enter service until 2028. Also Baden-Württemberg expects services to start later and urged Alstom to mobilise all the resources required to bring the vehicles into passenger service as quickly as possible. Existing contingency arrangements are to be extended on northern German networks, including services in Lower Saxony and Bremen.
Alstom cited the additional time needed for approval and the series introduction of the Coradia Maxfamily of trains as the main reasons. The trains have been ordered in several batches for different German regional rail networks. Responsibility for approval, production and quality assurance remains with the manufacturer and its partners; the commissioning bodies and the company are coordinating a new, detailed roll-out plan.
For passengers, the delay means that planned service expansions and vehicle replacements will not go ahead for now. Transport operators and commissioning bodies are assessing how services can be maintained until the trains actually enter service in 2028. The plans include, in particular, continued use of existing fleets, additional maintenance capacity and extensions to contracts for replacement vehicles of other types. The routes that will specifically be served by replacement vehicles when the timetable changes in December 2026 will be determined regionally.
The delay adds to a series of later delivery and approval dates for new orders in Germany’s regional services . Several projects have already adjusted their schedules in recent months. Commissioning bodies and transport associations say that reliable approvals and a stable start to series production take priority over bringing trains into service too early. Financial consequences, such as contractual penalties or additional costs for replacement services, have not yet been quantified.
Alstom and the institutions affected in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Baden-Württemberg have confirmed the new timetable. Further discussions on interim arrangements and the tightly scheduled approval process are due to take place in the coming weeks.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).