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Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania relies on battery-powered trains: test drive successful!
ODEG will be testing battery-powered trains in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from July 14, 2025. Modernization in Parchim and environmentally friendly bus operation planned.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania relies on battery-powered trains: test drive successful!
A new wind is blowing through regional transport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: From 2027, ODEG, the Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH, will be running through the area with 14 battery-powered trains. The first test drive of these environmentally friendly vehicles, which do not require any overhead lines, took place on July 14, 2025. This continues a trend that is striving for more sustainability, particularly in Germany.
The battery-powered trains have a range of around 80 kilometers and offer an excellent solution for regions that currently have no electrification in rail transport. The costs for the new trains amount to around 98 million euros, of which the federal government is contributing 15 million euros, as NDR reports.
A step into the future
Modern mobility in train transport is not only made easier by the ODEG, but also more environmentally friendly. Deutsche Bahn also plans to use the first electric trains in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania from the end of 2026. In this way, the electrification gaps in regional transport are being closed little by little, reducing the dependence on diesel vehicles.
In order to promote the switch to more environmentally friendly transport solutions, the maintenance facility in Parchim is being brought into shape. The capacity here is to be tripled, and the construction costs for the modernization amount to an impressive 18 million euros, which will also be supported in part by federal funding. According to the plans, a new transport contract will be agreed between the state and ODEG, which will support exactly this development.
The path to less diesel
Deutsche Bahn has set itself even more ambitious climate goals: the company aims to become completely climate-neutral by 2040. This measure is not just limited to local public transport; The Federal Republic has recognized that sustainable alternatives to diesel are urgently needed. Innovative solutions such as battery-powered trains, known as Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMU), are an important step in the right direction. These trains will be equipped with accumulators that can be charged on routes with overhead lines and will make it possible to run emission-free on non-electrified routes as long as they are powered by green electricity, reports Deutsche Bahn.
After the first “overhead line islands” were built near Kiel, plans for electrification are also sprouting in other federal states, such as Rhineland-Palatinate and the Rhine-Ruhr region. These steps could result in up to 10 million liters of diesel being saved annually, as described in Company Car.
The ODEG and Deutsche Bahn have set the course and are showing that German transport policy is moving forward - and not just with a few new trains, but with a real awareness of the environment and sustainability. Regional transport in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is just the beginning.