Keywords: BEMU, alternative traction, long-range, requirements, regional railway, Germany.

This work investigates highly demanding regional railway services in Germany, which are partly electrified and currently operated with diesel-powered trains. It explores the operation of upcoming long-range battery electric multiple units (BEMUs), defined here as vehicles with a traction battery capacity of 950 kWh. The analysis is based on twelve exemplary service days in German regional rail networks featuring track electrification gaps of more than 80 km. Train operations are modelled across entire service days rather than individual routes, thereby extending the perspective from individual route-based assessments to real-world operational conditions in complex regional rail networks. The selected service days cover total daily distances between 704 and 1323 km per train. A longitudinal simulation framework was applied to determine operational feasibility of BEMUs in regards to traction battery state of charge. The results show that long-range BEMU are capable of serving roughly half of the examined routes, without any additional infrastructural or operational adjustments. Moreover, minor timetable adjustments - particularly increasing turnaround times under catenary for battery recharging - can significantly enhance operational feasibility. The results highlight the potential of long-range BEMU for widespread application in German regional rail systems.

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