Stadler Delivers First Citylink TramTrain to Saarbrücken

The first TramTrain has been delivered to Saarbahn and was presented to the public on Whit Monday, June 9, 2025, in Saarbrücken-Brebach. It is the first of up to 504 vehicles that Stadler will deliver to a consortium of six transport companies from Germany and Austria. As part of this consortium, Saarbahn has ordered 28 TramTrains and holds options for an additional 21 vehicles.

Six rail operators from two countries and a single vehicle platform – this sums up the unique procurement project "VDV-TramTrain" for the industry. Following a Europe-wide tender, Stadler is producing up to 504 TramTrains in Valencia for the entire consortium, which can seamlessly switch between tram and railway lines. Stadler also has a maintenance contract for the entire service life of the vehicles.

Driving comfort and innovation for cross-border cooperation
Iñigo Parra, CEO of Stadler Division Spain, said during the presentation: “This is a globally unique international cooperation project. This type of collaboration is the best way to shape Europe. We are delighted to be able to make our contribution and provide our CITYLINK vehicles to the cooperation.”

“The new trains represent greater travel comfort, are a visible sign of a modern metropolis, and are also a symbol of cross-border collaboration and European unity. With the commissioning of the next generation of Saarbahn vehicles, we are staying on course for modern, sustainable mobility for Saarbrücken and the region – this aligns with our understanding as a Euro-metropolis,” explained Uwe Conradt, the Mayor of Saarbrücken.

Saarland's Minister of Mobility, Petra Berg, stated: “The TramTrains make an important contribution to environmentally friendly local transport. The state and the city of Saarbrücken are advancing future mobility together with the project partners and setting new standards for a high-quality transport offer, in which Saarbahn plays a key role. Modern and future-oriented mobility is a cross-border community issue that empowers people in Saarland to lead an independent life, both in the city and in the countryside.”

Karsten Nagel, Managing Director of Saarbahn: “The arrival of the first vehicle in Saarbrücken is a special milestone: with this vehicle, important parts of the testing and approval program will now be carried out on-site. Stadler is committed to completing the approval process as planned and on time. We look forward to the first new TramTrains in passenger service. Starting with the first vehicles that we expect to see in passenger service in the first half of 2026, we will then gradually replace the existing fleet after roughly 30 years of service by early 2028.”

“This joint procurement project is a lighthouse project for our industry. This project shows that when everyone pulls together, more than just a vehicle emerges – a common piece of the future is created,” added Thorsten Erlenkötter, the overall project manager of the VDV-TramTrain project.

From Valencia to Saarbrücken
The CITYLINK vehicles are produced at Stadler Valencia. Last September, Stadler presented the first vehicle at InnoTrans, the world's largest trade fair for transport technology, in Berlin. In total, several vehicles are already in use for the complex approval process. This included, for example, operations over six months in Velim, Czech Republic, to carry out initial rides and functional tests on the test track. Electromagnetic compatibility tests were conducted in Munich. Another vehicle has simultaneously passed tests in the climate chamber in Vienna. Thanks to the simulation of various climatic conditions, it is ensured that the vehicles will function reliably even in extreme temperatures, whether cold or heat.

In Saarbrücken, further tests and rides will be carried out with the now and later delivered vehicles as part of the approval process as a tramtrain according to the railway regulations (EBO) and the tram operation regulations (BoStrab). An additional special feature is the approval of the Saarbahn TramTrains for operations up to Saargemünd, France.

A large part of the static and dynamic approval tests completed with Saarbahn's vehicles will also be valid for the vehicles of the other cooperation partners. This allows not only the construction costs of the individual variants to be divided but also the approval costs among the cooperation partners.

CITYLINK: A joint TramTrain platform
The new vehicles are modular, barrier-free light rail vehicles that have been specially developed for seamless connections between the city center and the surrounding area providing passengers with a safe and comfortable ride.

All vehicles in the project are based on the same platform and have a length of 37.2 meters and a width of 2.65 meters. The three-section CITYLINK vehicles come with standardized equipment such as air conditioning for the passenger and driver compartments and flexible, spacious multipurpose areas. Depending on the operator, the TramTrains are equipped individually.

www.stadlerrail.com