- The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted a loan for €173 million.
- The EIB will support the energy transition of Hamburg’s transport sector by financing the city’s DT6 metro fleet.
- Hochbahn will enjoy seven-figure interest savings.
Hamburger Hochbahn AG (Hochbahn) has signed a loan agreement with the EIB to finance 41 new DT6 metro trains. The contract was signed by EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer and Hochbahn CEO Robert Henrich, attended by Hamburg transport senator Anjes Tjarks.
At the contract signing today in Hamburg, EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer lauded the project as a prime example of EU investment in sustainable urban transport. The DT6 (designed as a twin unit) is the latest generation of Hamburg metro train. Both the model DT6-F (with train crew) and the model DT6-A (fully self-driving, unstaffed) will be in service starting in 2028. The loan agreement includes financing for the first 41 DT6-F trains, ordered last year. This loan is for €173 million.
Thanks to its structure, Hochbahn will enjoy significant interest savings – in the seven-digit range throughout the term of the loan.
Hochbahn CEO Robert Heinrich said: "The DT6 contract is the largest single investment in Hochbahn’s history. We are thrilled at how quickly we were able to negotiate and sign a loan agreement with the EIB for the first order. Naturally, we are also very pleased to know that the project is in line with the EIB’s policy objectives, and that we can therefore benefit from an excellent interest rate.”
EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer said: “Greener, faster, more convenient – innovative transport solutions are key to our transition to climate neutrality. Today, Hamburg is showing us how it’s done: By making big investments in cutting-edge metro technology, Hamburger Hochbahn AG and the EIB are driving sustainable urban mobility. The new trains will provide more comfort, more space, more frequent run times and more safety for the growing number of passengers in Hamburg.”
Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Hochbahn, said: “The future can begin. With local transport that will be even faster, more data-based, and more comfortable for passengers. With the new DT6 trains, we are creating a modern, attractive mobility offering for the existing network, and soon a fully self-driving one, running every 90 seconds on the new U5 line. This loan tranche for the first 41 DT6 trains, with an excellent financing partner like the EIB, will support Hochbahn as it works to achieve this important task for the future: to increase the number of underground trains in Hamburg by up to 50% by 2050.”
The DT6 operation will encompass up to 374 vehicles in total, with a volume of up to €2.8 billion. Alstom was awarded the contract for additional trains almost exactly one year ago. The first order, encompassing 41 DT6-F trains and seven DT6-A trains, was placed at that time.
