DBAG Class 430

The Class 430 EMU is an electric railcar for S-Bahn commuter networks in Germany, jointly developed by Bombardier and Alstom. The first trains went into service in 2012, replacing the Class 420 EMUs of the Stuttgart S-Bahn. In February 2009 it was announced that the 90 remaining Class 420 EMUs would be replaced by 83 newly developed Class 430 EMUs. This would be the first use of Class 430s in Germany. In May 2009, DB Regio ordered 83 trains, which are expected to be delivered between February and December 2012. DB has an option to order another 83 units. In December 2010, the option was increased from 83 to 166 units for the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn (see below). In October 2011, the Transport Committee of the Stuttgart Region decided to order 4 more Class 430s to cover additional services. In December 2009, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr announced that the Class 430 would be used, with deliveries to be completed by the end of 2012. This would give 116 vehicles total of both Class 422 and Class 430. In April 2011, it was announced that orders for additional vehicles had been canceled, due to the upcoming tender of lines S5 and S8. On those lines, the existing locomotive-hauled trains will be replaced by Class 422, rather than Class 430. In November 2011, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund announced that after the successful tender of the S-Bahn network, Class 430 would replace the current Class 420 at the 2014/2015 timetable change. This is part of the contract between the Verkehrsverbund and DB. In December 2011, DB and Bombardier announced that DB had ordered 90 vehicles. In early 2014, these trains will be used for testing and training purposes in the Frankfurt area. The walk-through multiple units of Class 430 are similar to those of the Class 422. They have an air-conditioned passenger area, and have gap bridging to prevent entry and exit accidents. The vehicles for Stuttgart are equipped with 16 surveillance cameras per train, glass shelves, and LED lighting. They offer eight screens in each train which only display information about the next station.