Talgo’s first EuroCity (EC) trains receive formal acceptance from Danish operator DSB

Danish state railway operator DSB has informed Talgo of the acceptance of the first Talgo 230 trains, international units that will soon operate under the EuroCity (EC) commercial name on the Copenhagen (Denmark) – Hamburg (Germany) route. With this confirmation, the formal delivery of the fleet of Talgo 230 trains developed by the Spanish manufacturer begins. The fleet comprises two orders and totals 16 trains.

It is a new demonstration of Talgo’s solvency and strength as a world-class train manufacturer and demonstrates the capacity of its technology and its highly qualified team. It is undoubtedly a further step in Talgo’s consolidation to provide high-quality mobility solutions in the most competitive markets, following the official presentation of the ICE L in Berlin last week, after formal acceptance by the German operator Deutsche Bahn in September.

Talgo, a segment leader in Europe
This latest milestone enables the launch of domestic routes within Denmark and the new cross-border connection between Copenhagen and Hamburg. It adds to the formal acceptance received in September for the Talgo 230 trains ordered by Deutsche Bahn (ICE L), which were officially unveiled in Berlin on 17 October.

The new milestone for the Talgo 230 product platform reinforces Talgo positioning as a leading Intercity trains manufacturer in Western and Central Europe and shows the capabilities of the Spanish company to supply the state-run train operating companies in some of the biggest economies of the European Union with high quality products. Talgo 230 trains are fully designed and manufactured in the two factories the company has Spain.




About 500 passengers per train
EuroCity trains are loco-hauled units authorised for a maximum speed of 200 km/h in commercial service and have a flexible configuration ranging from 9 to 15 passenger cars including first and second classes and a PRM car. Their maximum capacity will reach 492 passengers and will allow DSB to revamp and increase its offering in the Copenhagen-Germany route and to create a new alternative to more carbon-intensive modes like road and air transport.

In each EuroCity set the two cars at each train end are longer than the rest and act as a fully interoperable interface with the third-party locomotives from the DSB roster. In a near future, one of those end cars will be replaced by a Talgo cab car (styrevogn; a passenger end-coach with a driving cab but no engines) to allow for a push-pull configuration that will ensure swift train turnaround times at the final destination of each route.

Talgo 230: from Scandinavia to the Danube, from the Baltic to the Alps
Following the acceptance of these Talgo EuroCity trains and their upcoming entry into service, as well as last week’s presentation of the ICE L trains in Germany, Talgo is advancing its strategy to deploy Talgo 230 trains to destinations chosen by its customers.

As informed in August, work is now underway to ensure that Talgo 230 trains are also certified and authorised by the national safety authorities of Austria (BMK) and the Netherlands (ILT) for both railway networks, as well as by the Swiss agency (BAV) – limited in this case to the Basel border station. This additional, triple approval is expected to be received in the short term.

The Talgo 230s for DSB form a fleet of 16 trains that has been partially delivered and is partially in production, corresponding to several successive contracts. Back in in February 2020 and after an open tendering process, DSB awarded Talgo with a framework contract worth €500 million which included a first firm order of €134 million for the supply of 8 complete trains of the Talgo 230 technological platform.

In April 2021 and considering the new demand for international rail travel, DSB decided to increase the fleet size with a second order for additional coaches which raised the passenger capacity of the 8 initial trains by a full 10%, to 492 seats each. Then in April 2023 the railway company placed a third order, for 8 additional trains and worth €184 million.

Developed in Spain, bought in Germany and Denmark
The EuroCity trains soon to enter commercial service with DSB are interoperable units, part of the Talgo 230 product range: a technological platform that builds on Talgo’s expertise in high-speed rail and the Spanish manufacturer’s distinctive rolling assemblies technology. It offers high-capacity, lightweight vehicles with a commercial speed of up to 230 km/h, as well as enhanced acceleration and braking capabilities.

This makes it ideal for countries with high population density, numerous urban centres and mesh-shaped railway networks where the number of stops and diversity of routes are high, compared to territories with radial-shaped networks and more dispersed cities.

New Talgo DSB trains factsheet:

www.talgo.com