Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB)

Addition to the fleet

Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn & Smart Train Lease

Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) is a reliable and innovative player in local rail passenger transport, connecting the greater Berlin-Brandenburg area with efficient and sustainable mobility solutions. We are proud to have successfully supported NEB as our first customer with our flexible leasing concept in expanding its fleet in line with demand and thus making an important contribution to modern and sustainable local transport.

A passenger with a suitcase and jacket slung over his arm walks across a platform in summer weather (topic-supporting image)

Lighthouse project: Sustainable employee mobility

A particularly outstanding example of our successful cooperation was the provision of two battery-powered vehicles on a catenary-free route for the company transport of an automobile manufacturer. This project impressively showed how innovative mobility solutions can change everyday life.

Train station with many railroad tracks, a train and some skyscrapers in Germany

Innovative solutions for environmentally friendly transport

NEB was a pioneer in relying on our rental solution and thus enabled thousands of employees to reach their workplaces in an environmentally friendly and reliable way by train.

Significant CO2 reduction through less private transport

This project underlines how flexible rental concepts can support not only transport companies, but also companies from other industries in achieving their mobility goals sustainably and quickly.

Profile

Vehicle type

Mireo Smart Plus B

Quantity

2 Vehicles

Public Transport Authority (PTA)

Automobile manufacturers in Grünheide

Rental period

August 2024 – December 2026

Route of operation

Company transport (Grünheide – Erkner, Berlin)

Service Package

Initial: Komplettpaket
Afterwards: Basic package

Use cases

Sustainable, green transitional solution
Short-term replacement for employee transport by battery trains

Interview with Sebastian Achtermann

Managing Director of NEB

The Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) is a pioneer in mobility. In the midst of preparations for two major start-ups of operations with alternative drives, the company had proven this in 2024 and put two more battery-powered Mireo Plus B trains with Smart Train Lease on the tracks in order to convert the company transport from conventional diesel vehicles to a modern drive type, which has been provided since September 2023.

For vehicle replacement and the transformation to a battery-electric future in local rail passenger transport, an automobile manufacturer had tried to ensure the availability of trains for operation from summer 2024 on the market, as NEB Managing Director Sebastian Achtermann reports. Unsuccessfully, because none of the manufacturers was able to provide trains at such short notice as Smart Train Lease. Normally, the NEB would have had to wait at least three years for the delivery of new vehicles. Commissioning would therefore not have been possible until 2027 at the earliest, according to Achtermann.

With Smart Train Lease, NEB finally found a partner who converted train traffic in the summer. The Mireo Plus B trains took the employees to the Gigafactory in Grünheide every day – and back again to Erkner near Berlin.

The short-term availability of battery-powered trains in particular convinced the NEB Managing Director to work with Smart Train Lease: “The trains were ready for operation immediately and were in Berlin just two weeks after signing the contract.”

Since December 2024, NEB has converted a large part of its fleet to modern, environmentally friendly vehicles. The East Brandenburg network and the Heidekrautbahn with the RB27 between Berlin and Groß Schönebeck (Barnim) made the start.

Managing Director Sebastian Achtermann explains: “We are using 31 battery-electric multiple units in Brandenburg and seven multiple hydrogen units on our own infrastructure, the Heidekrautbahn. This makes us pioneers in Germany and in Berlin-Brandenburg. Our declared goal is to gradually replace our diesel fleet, which is still in use today, with modern, contemporary drives.”

Similar references

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Smart Train Lease GmbH
E-Mail: contact@smart-train-lease.com