Big German rail contract wins for National Express
BIRMINGHAM-based transport operator National Express Group has been selected to run two 15 year regional commuter rail contracts in Germany.
Three German local authorities confirmed last night that they intended to award the two contracts which serve cities including Cologne and Bonn in Germany’s most populous region, North Rhine-Westphalia, to the firm. The contracts are for a regional express service between Rheine-Munster-Cologne-Krefeld and a Bonn-Cologne-Wuppertal stopping service.
The services are currently run by Deutsche Bahn and carry around 18m passengers per year. National Express will start operating the 15 year contract in December 2015, after first procuring 36 new electric trains on behalf of the local authorities. The contracts will generate revenues of around €1.6 bn for the 15 years as a whole.
Dean Finch, National Express Group chief executive said: “National Express is delighted to have been selected to run these two German commuter rail contracts. I’m particularly pleased that our success in running the UK’s best performing franchise has been recognised by the German authorities. We look forward to maintaining these high standards and serving the people of North Rhine-Westphalia for many years to come.”
National Express is currently pre-qualified for three other rail bids in Germany. Germany is Europe’s largest rail market, twice the size of the UK, with 35 tendering competitions due to start in the next two years.
