Siemens Desiro


The Siemens Desiro is a family of diesel or electric multiple unit passenger trains developed by Siemens Mobility, a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The main variants are the Desiro Classic, Desiro ML, Desiro UK and the later Desiro City, Desiro HC and Desiro RUS. The trains are mostly used for commuter and regional services, and their rapid acceleration makes them suitable for services with short distances between stations. The design is flexible, and has become common in many European countries.

Desiro Classic

Austria

is using 60 diesel-powered Desiro trains designated as ÖBB 5022. These are based on the Class 642 used by Deutsche Bahn, but have some additional safety equipment.

Bulgaria

In 2005 and 2006, the Bulgarian State Railways began operating Desiro trains as part of a €67 million deal with Siemens AG for a total of 25 Diesel multiple units. As of 22 March 2006, 16 trains had been delivered, with many of them operating on the Sofia-Kyustendil-Sofia line. Another €117 million deal for 25 EMUs has also been signed with Siemens AG. The EMUs were fitted out in Varna, where BDZ and Siemens AG are intending to establish a joint venture company. The EMUs are designated classes 30 and 31 and are servicing traffic in the Sofia and Plovdiv areas.

Czech Republic

Private railway company Arriva vlaky operates with two Desiro trains borrowed from Deutsche Bahn.

Denmark

In Denmark, DSB has rented 12 Desiro trains since 2002. The trains were originally used between Odense and Svendborg and between Odense and Fredericia, although they were later moved to service on the Little South Line.
On 2 July 2009 DSB signed a contract for eight trains from Siemens for Grenaabanen, with an option for 92 more. The trains entered service on 12 December 2010, also servicing Odderbanen from December 2012. Grenaabanen and Odderbanen shut in 2016 for their re-purposing for a light rail network in Aarhus and its satellite towns. The trainsets were moved to Svendborgbanen, whose rolling stock was in turn moved to Lille Syd.
Nordjyske Jernbaner used Desiro trains since 2004 on all its operations. Today the company owns eight Desiro trains.

Germany

Germany's Deutsche Bahn introduced two-car Desiro DMUs for local services in 2000. With a top speed of, these Class 642 units are mainly used on branch lines and regional lines. Besides the 234 units purchased by DB in 2007, various private German rail companies are also using Desiro DMUs.
The Class 642 is equipped with two MTU diesel engines with an output of each and hydro-mechanical transmission with retarders. It typically contains 100 seats. When linked together with Scharfenberg couplers, up to three trainsets can be operated together. The Desiros are quite popular with most passengers, thanks to their good acceleration. Because they have often replaced push/pull trains, their shorter journey times, such as on the Müglitz Valley Railway, have encouraged greater passenger numbers.
Originally DB intended to operate together modern DMUs purchased from different manufacturers, but due to software incompatibilities this proved to be impossible. Therefore, the Class 642 can only be mechanically coupled with other DMUs like the Class 643.

Greece

In Greece eight diesel DMU-2 Desiro trains were temporarily in service with the Hellenic Railways Organisation during 2004–2006, and again in 2007 on the Athens–Chalkida line and on the Athens suburban railway lines. Afterwards they were returned to their owner in December 2007. In the late 2008 Hellenic Shipyards/MAN-FERROSTAAL leased the eight units to Hungary with a contract for 20 years.
OSE owns and TrainOSE operates twenty electric Desiro EMU-5 equipped for the 25-kV overhead catenary system. They operate on the Piraeus-Athens Airport, Piraeus-Kiato, Ano Liosia-Athens Airport and Athens-Chalcis suburban lines and as a stopping service on the mainline between Thessaloniki and Larissa, which is advertised as a regional service. OSE is in litigation with the joint venture of Siemens & Hellenic Shipyards for the supply of those 20 Desiro.

Hungary

At present 31 diesel Desiros are in service with MÁV, mainly as suburban trains on the regional line between Debrecen - Nagykereki and Budapest - Lajosmizse and as an express train between Budapest and Baja. Also used as local trains between Füzesabony and Debrecen and InterRegio train between Győr and Balatonszentgyörgy via Tapolca. During the summer months Desiros appear on some local train diagram on the north shore of the Lake Balaton. Desiros are used as "Helikon InterRegio" trains between Győr, Kaposvár, and Pécs. Desiros are also in service as InterRegio trains between Szombathely and Pécs.

Malaysia

The KLIA Ekspres, an airport rail link service between Kuala Lumpur Sentral station and Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the south, uses the Desiro ET 425 M four-car electric multiple units . Twelve trainsets are currently in operation: eight trains are used for the non-stop KLIA Ekspres service between KL Sentral and the airport, while another four trains call at three intermediate stations in between, including one serving Putrajaya. These EMUs have a maximum commercial speed of making them the fastest trains currently operating in Malaysia.

Romania

CFR Călători, Romania's national railway operator, is one of the largest users of the Siemens Desiro trainsets. Introduced since 2003, CFR Călători operates 120 diesel Desiro trainsets, and uses them for both its "Inter Regio", and "Regio" services, but mainly on its "Regio" trains. The trains, designated as CFR Călători Class 96, are nicknamed "Săgeata Albastră". There was some criticism of the use of Desiros for CFR Călători's long-distance services because they were considered to be uncomfortable. CFR Călători had refitted them, and is now using Desiros mainly on its medium- and short-distance routes. For example, it is planning to use them as part of a proposed commuter link in Bucharest and Ilfov County.

Slovenia

operates 30 electric Desiro units that are designated as Desiro EMG 312 SR 31E. They are used as commuter stopping trains on electrified lines, i.e., from Ljubljana to Koper, Jesenice, Maribor and Dobova.

United States

The Sprinter hybrid rail system employs VT642 Desiro diesel units. It serves Northern San Diego County, California, United States between Escondido and Oceanside along a railway line. Twelve married pairs were delivered in August 2006 to the operator North County Transit District. Service began on 9 March 2008, serving fifteen stations along the 22-mile right of way.
Mountain Rail, one of two competing coalitions bidding on a large portion of FasTracks in Denver, appeared to be proposing a Siemens Desiro ML derived vehicle that is Federal Railroad Administration compliant. Both EMU and DMU units would have been used for the Northwest Corridor, North Metro Corridor and Gold Line. Electric traction was eventually chosen for the project.

Desiro Mainline

Austria

In April 2010 ÖBB signed a framework agreement for up to 200 Desiro ML trains. The first such trains entered service on the Vienna S-Bahn in 2015, branded as class 4744/4746 cityjet. By the end of December 2021 ÖBB received the last three-car cityjet Desiro ML from the framework contract for 200 vehicles in April 2010.
In August 2021 ÖBB acquired 21 additional four-car cityjet Desiro ML trains with eight doors per side and more than 290 seats.

Belgium

In 2008 NMBS/SNCB ordered 305 Desiro ML trains. In 2013, the order of the final 250 trains was suspended because of technical problems with the trains already running. The company is seeking damages from Siemens for these problems which caused many delays. Siemens had already been fined €25 million for the late delivery of the first batch of trains. The order for all units was confirmed in 2013 and in March 2015 the last two arrived.
In August 2014 the head of the NMBS/SNCB explained to the newspapers that the Desiro trains need repairing too often, i.e., at a rate of one technical intervention per 8000 kilometers. The trains are used heavily on the Brussels Regional Express Network, but also InterCity lines between Antwerp and Ghent and on lines electrified with 25kV AC in the Belgian Ardennes where they replaced diesel-trains or locomotive-hauled stock on the international Liège to Luxembourg City route.

Germany

Desiro ML Mittelrheinbahn is used by the private rail operator trans regio for regional services between Cologne and Mainz on the left bank of the Rhine. The EMUs are leased from Angel Trains and received the class number 460 by the Eisenbahnbundesamt, the federal railway authority. The 15 kV AC overhead line EMUs have a top speed of ; however they are limited by the EBA to on account of insufficient braking power from. All cars use conventional bogies and additional middle carriages can be added later.

Desiro RUS

Russia

, designated ES1, is a broad gauge electric commuter and regional train developed for Russian railways, which calls them Lastochka.
In January 2013 RZD began putting into service the first 18 trains from the initial order for 38. In mid-2013 a joint venture between Siemens and Ural Locomotives began production of the second batch of 16 trains at a factory in Ekaterinburg. The first train was assembled in June 2014. 62% of its components were produced locally. The factory was expected to supply 240 trains by 2021.
In 2011 RZD ordered 1,200 cars from Ural Locomotives. Local content was to be increased to 80 percent. Siemens also had an order for maintenance of rolling stock for a period of 40 years. The contract with Siemens was estimated at €2.5 billion.
Desiro Rus was divided into 6 types, ES1 Premium, ES2G, ES2G, ES2GP, ES1P.
A total of 281 trainsets of all Lastochka types were delivered as of January 2023.