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Berlin Commuter Company class 480
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Germany | 1986
85 produced
S9 towards Schönefeld Airport in November 2014 at Hohen Neuendorf station
S9 towards Schönefeld Airport in November 2014 at Hohen Neuendorf station
Christian Liebscher

In order to be able to replace the outdated vehicles of the West Berlin S-Bahn, the BVG had the class 480 developed in the 1980s. Due to the special requirements in Berlin, completely new vehicles had to be developed that could benefit from the latest technology. A 90 kW three-phase motor was used on all axles, which enabled faster acceleration with lower losses. The smallest unit is the so-called “quarter train”, which consists of two permanently connected vehicles, each with a cab. One to four of these are coupled together during operation.

Since the class 481 was developed for the entire Berlin after reunification, only 85 quarter trains were built. The trains were nicknamed “Toasters”. After the introduction of the newer vehicles, they were no longer used across the entire network. However, since they are still needed, they were modernized between 2015 and 2018. From 2020 they also received the BVG's new train control system. So far there is only a short text for this vehicle. In the future it will be described in more detail.

General
Built1986-1987, 1990-1994
ManufacturerAEG, Siemens, Waggon-Union
Wheel arr.B-B+B-B 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Seats92
Dimensions and Weights
Length120 ft 8 13/16 in
Wheelbase46 ft 11 in
Rigid wheelbase7 ft 2 5/8 in
Empty weight132,277 lbs
Boiler
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - DC
Electric system750 V
Hourly power966 hp (720 kW)
Top speed62 mph
Calculated Values
EMU
suburban
last changed: 11/2023
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