© Alpha Trains/Mittelrheinbahn
- Passenger News
- 05. May 2026
- Press Release | Alpha Trains
Enhanced Passenger Comfort:
Modernisation of the MittelrheinBahn successfully completed
Kaiserslautern / Cologne / Koblenz, 5 May 2026 - A second life for a proven fleet: Backed by a €3 million investment from public transport authorities, fleet owner Alpha Trains has also committed a substantial multi-million euro sum to the project. Together, the partners have invested significant funds to bring the 17 Siemens Desiro Mainline (ML) vehicles of the MittelrheinBahn up to the standard of new vehicles, both technically and visually. Today, the final modernised railcar was unveiled at the Siemens Mobility test centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, marking the official conclusion of this extensive project. Passengers travelling the entire route between Cologne, Koblenz, and Mainz will benefit from the enhanced comfort of the fleet.
Sustainability through redesign
The complete refurbishment of the fleet, which has been in service on this route since 2008, is an important contribution to the conservation of resources in rail transport. Rather than purchasing new trains, this project demonstrates how sustainable mobility can be achieved by upgrading existing rolling stock and extending its service life.
The modernisation of the vehicles is based on the current transport contract, which came into force in December 2023. The network was put out to tender jointly by the regional rail transport authorities “Zweckverband Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Nord (SPNV-Nord)”, “Zweckverband Öffentlicher Personennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Süd (ZÖPNV-Süd)” and “Zweckverband go.Rheinland”. The contract was once again awarded to the previous operator of the MittelrheinBahn, the rail transport company Trans Regio.
State-of-the-art comfort along the entire route
The project’s main challenge was to modernise the fleet while maintaining regular services: To always ensure the continuous availability of MittelrheinBahn trains, the vehicles were transferred one by one to the Siemens Mobility workshop in Wildenrath for refurbishment. With the completion of the last vehicle, this complex modernisation project is now fully completed.
Passengers benefit from significantly enhanced comfort:
- Modern Interior: Reconfigured seating for more legroom, larger side tables with integrated handholds, and energy-efficient LED lighting.
- Digital services: Equipped with free Wi-Fi, additional power sockets and modern TFT monitors displaying real-time passenger information
- Fresh design: A paint refurbishment combined with repainting of door areas and front panels
Significant capacity for the region
The fleet provided by Alpha Trains includes the 17 modernised Desiro ML trains and six additional new Siemens Mireo multiple units, providing significant capacity for the region. These have been supplementing the MRB fleet since the end of 2020 and enabling capacity increases through triple-unit traction on the particularly high-demand sections of the route.
Maintenance of the entire fleet continues to be carried out at the Trans Regio depot in Koblenz-Moselweiß.
Leadership Statement:
Thorsten Müller, Director of SPNV-Nord:
“For our passengers, the modernised MittelrheinBahn means one thing above all else: a noticeable improvement in quality on every single journey. More legroom, more comfortable seats and additional storage space make even longer journeys significantly more pleasant. Added to this are reliable Wi-Fi, power sockets at each seat and up-to-date passenger information in real time. These are precisely the improvements that make everyday life easier and turn the railway into an attractive part of daily life. This successful modernisation demonstrates that we can enhance the appeal of local rail passenger transport through targeted investment in our existing fleet.”
Michael Heilmann, Director of ZÖPNV-Süd:
“The MittelrheinBahn forms the core service for regional transport on the left bank of the Rhine between Mainz, Bingen and Koblenz. With the completion of the rolling stock modernisation, we are now offering contemporary comfort in these trains too: the cramped seating has been replaced to allow for more legroom, and Wi-Fi has been retrofitted. These aspects have gained in importance with the introduction of the Deutschland-Ticket and the resulting increased use of trains – in some cases, passengers travel non-stop from Cologne to Mainz. Part of the project’s success is also that the work was organised in such a way that there were no significant disruptions for passengers. This is by no means a given in today’s rail transport.”
Sven Kleine, authorised signatory at go.Rheinland:
“The modernised rolling stock offers passengers noticeably greater comfort and contemporary facilities. At the same time, the refurbishment is a sustainable way of bringing existing rolling stock up to date whilst conserving resources. In this way, we are strengthening local rail passenger transport along the Middle Rhine and, together with our partners, ensuring a reliable and attractive service for the region.”
Dietmar Knerr, Managing Director of Trans Regio:
“The modernisation of our Desiro fleet whilst services were running, in collaboration with Alpha Trains, Siemens and the transport authorities, was carried out with perfect coordination, enabling us to offer our passengers a stable service throughout the entire period. We are delighted that we can now offer a high standard of comfort across all MittelrheinBahn vehicles, matching that of new rolling stock.”
Bernhard Holzer, Managing Director of Alpha Trains Europa GmbH and responsible for the ‘Passenger’ division:
“The well-coordinated and rapidly implemented modernisation of the entire fleet whilst services continued to run was a logistical masterpiece by all those involved. The fact that the project was implemented so smoothly underlines the strong and trusting partnership between the regional rail authorities involved, Trans Regio, Siemens Mobility and Alpha Trains. We are delighted that our customer can now offer its passengers a standard of quality across the entire route that is in no way inferior to that of a new vehicle.”
About Alpha Trains
Alpha Trains is the leading private rolling stock lessor in Continental Europe. A total of 150 employees from 20 countries work in offices in Luxembourg, Antwerp, Cologne, Madrid, Paris and Warsaw. Alpha Trains owns more than 1,000 locomotives and passenger trains and offers tailor-made leasing solutions, comprehensive know-how in maintenance and vehicle repairs as well as long-term experience in the financing of new-build projects. Alpha Trains’ fleets are in use at many public and private operators in 22 European countries. Alpha Trains′ shareholders are APG, Arcus European Trains, PGGM and Swiss Life.
Press Contacts:
Alpha Trains Group
Heike Zimmermann, Group Head of PR & Marketing
Telefon: +49 221 9140 9063
[email protected]
go.Rheinland GmbH
Alina Çakar; Presse und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Telefon: +49 221 20808 748
[email protected]
Zweckverband ÖPNV Rheinland-Pfalz Süd
Fritz Engbarth, Stv. Verbandsdirektor
Telefon: +49 631 366 4801
Mobil: +49 174 6541895
[email protected]
Zweckverband Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Nord
Bettina Hauptmann, Referentin Kommunikation
Telefon: +49 261 3029 1821
Mobil: +49 173 4119544
[email protected]
Trans Regio Deutsche Regionalbahn GmbH
Stephan Herzhauser, Tarif & Vertrieb
Telefon: +49 261-988299-420
Mobil: +49 1520 9380 547
[email protected]