The Swiss train manufacturer Stadler has acquired a 46,000m₂ plot in Hennigsdorf, in the district of Oberhavel (in Brandenburg, Germany), where the company will build a new commissioning centre for rail vehicles produced at its Berlin-Pankow plant. Between 2024 and 2027, the existing halls at the site will be renovated and expanded and a new customer acceptance centre built; some 128 employees will work at the site.

The company is planning a total of 1,314m of track inside the hall, along with a new and modern infrastructure that includes crane and pit systems, as well as fixed roof work stands. For dynamic tests, a 744m-long track system will be built in the outdoor area; this will have overhead line systems for regional trains as well as third rails for underground and S-Bahn trains. The electrical supply for the high-voltage area in the new customer centre and the dynamic test tracks in the outdoor area will be provided by a separate multi-voltage supply system.

Jure Mikolčić, CEO of Stadler in Germany, said: “Stadler is already firmly connected to the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region with several locations. Our commissioning centre in Velten is now reaching the limits of its capacity. For this reason, we have decided to establish Hennigsdorf as a location and set up our new commissioning centre with modern infrastructure there. In doing so, we are not only creating future-oriented jobs in the region but also setting another milestone in our 20-year history of growth.”

Commissioning includes all the activities required to make a fully assembled rail vehicle ready for operation. For example, the relevant functions of the trains are tested on the hardware and software side while stationary and while travelling so that the vehicles can then be handed over to the customer. In future, the Service Division’s work in Germany, such as modernisations, overhauls, and accident repairs, will be carried out at the previous commissioning site in Velten.

Stadler, which has been building trains for 80 years, has its headquarters in Bussnang (in eastern Switzerland), a workforce of around 14,000 in various production and engineering locations, and more than 80 service locations. The product range in the field of mainline railways and city transport includes high- speed trains, intercity trains, regional and suburban trains, metros, tramways and trams. Stadler also manufactures main-line locomotives, shunting locomotives, and passenger carriages. It is also the world’s leading manufacturer in the rack-and-pinion rail-vehicle industry.