The Siemens Mireo is a family of electric multiple units (EMU) designed by Siemens Mobility. It is designed to be a successor to the "Mainline" variant of the company's Desiro EMUs.[1]

Siemens Mireo
DB 463 308 of DB Regio operating for the VBB at Falkenberg/Elster in June 2023
ManufacturerSiemens Mobility at Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, Krefeld, NRW, Germany
Number built93 (two-car sets)
189 (three-car sets)
49 (four-car sets)
PredecessorSiemens Desiro ML
Specifications
Train length52–140 m (170 ft 7 in – 459 ft 4 in)
Width2.808 or 3 m (9 ft 2.6 in or 9 ft 10.1 in)
Height4.208 m (13 ft 9.7 in)
Maximum speed140 or 160 or 200 km/h (85 or 100 or 125 mph)
Weight112 t (110 long tons; 123 short tons) (three-car sets)
Axle load20 t (20 long tons; 22 short tons)
Power output2,600 kW (3,500 hp)
Tractive effort300 kN (67,000 lbf)
Accelerationaround 1.2 m/s (3.9 ft/s)
Electric system(s)15 kV  16.7 Hz AC from overhead catenary
Current collector(s)Pantograph (electric)
UIC classificationBo'2'2'2'Bo' (four-car sets)
Safety system(s)PZB, LZB, ETCS

The railcars have an articulated design and aluminum carbodies, with 26 meters (85 ft) cab cars on each end of a trainset and 19 meters (62 ft) passenger cars between them, with trainsets between two and seven cars long.[1] The use of aluminum, combined with new control systems, is intended to reduce energy use by up to 25% compared to previous Siemens EMUs.[2] The railcars can reach a top speed of up to 160 km/h (100 mph).[1] Siemens Mobility is currently working on a hydrogen fuel cell prototype.[3]

Siemens introduced the first Mireo railcars at the 2016 InnoTrans trade fair.[1] The first units were ordered in February 2017 by DB Regio, which ordered 24 three-car trainsets with a passenger capacity of 220 for service on its routes in the Rhine valley in southwestern Germany.[2] DB Regio ordered a further 57 three-car high-density sets for S-Bahn service.[3][4] Production of Mireo trainsets began in 2018, with the first completed set unveiled in early December.[4][5] Following testing, Mireo trains are expected to enter revenue service in June 2020.[5]

Mireo Smart

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In November 2020, Siemens unveiled the Mireo Smart. This is a standardized product aiming for attractive pricing and faster delivery.[6] It includes features such as more advanced CCTV systems, improved passenger information systems, and full testing before delivery.[7]

Siemens Mobility founded the subsidiary company „Smart Train Lease GmbH“ (STL) in February which allows for near-term leases of Mireo-Smart trainsets.[8][9] The vehicle fleet for the German market will be established during 2024 comprising initially of 12 Mireo Smart, two Plus B and six Plus H. Smart Train Lease expects a common lease to run for one to eight years with a lead time of several months.[10]

Mireo Plus

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The Mireo has two variants to run on unelectrified sections. These can be distinguished by their longer high-floor section at the start of the train (four windows instead of three) where the additional devices are placed underneath. They are in passenger service since 2024.

Mireo Plus H

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Siemens and Ballard Power Systems are developing a fuel cell system for the trains, which is expected to be operational in 2021.[4]

Mireo Plus B

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Siemens Mireo Plus H at Innotrans 2022

A battery equipped variant had been developed. It can run on both electrified lines (taking current from the catenary) and unelectrified lines (using the batteries). It can travel 80 kilometres (50 mi) on unelectrified lines.[3]

In August 2019, NV Baden-Württemberg [de] ordered 20 battery-electric Mireos. They will be used on the electrified Offenburg - Freudenstadt/Hornberg line (Kinzig Valley Railway) and on several unelectrified lines (Rench Valley Railway, Harmersbach Valley Railway and Acher Valley Railway)

These trains use Lithium-titanate batteries (LTO). Toshiba guaranteed 15,000 cycles at 10C by 2019 and 40,000 cycles at 10C by 2022.[11] The LTO batteries are replacing prior usage of supercaps in trains to store the energy from braking.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Siemens to unveil Mireo modular EMU concept". Railway Gazette. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b "DB Regio places first order for Siemens Mireo". Railway Gazette. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Mireo EMU unveiled by Siemens". International Railway Journal. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  4. ^ a b c "Assembly of first Siemens Mireo EMU underway". Railway Gazette. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Siemens presents first Mireo EMU". Railway Gazette International. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Mireo Smart: 100% focus on efficiency". press.siemens.com. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  7. ^ "Mireo Smart". Siemens Mobility Global. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  8. ^ "Flexibles Mietmodell für Regionalzüge: Smart Train Lease GmbH". Siemens Mobility. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  9. ^ "Flexibel und smart: Lösungen und Services". Smart Train Lease. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  10. ^ Mark Simmons (2024-02-27). "A new leasing model for Europe?". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27.
  11. ^ https://www.global.toshiba/ww/products-solutions/battery/scib/product/cell/high-power.html
  12. ^ Neue Batteriezüge mit Spezialakku - Jochen Steinbauer (Siemens Mobility) & Tobias Beckers (HLB) on YouTube, Batteriepodcast (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie), uploaded 2024-04-14