National Express wins RRX network in Ruhr area

[U-Bahnfreund]

After a newpaper article, National Express seems to have won all three parts of the RRX (Rhein-Ruhr-Express) network with its main route from Dortmund via Düsseldorf to Cologne. Trains shall be running in 2018, the full network will be introduced a few years later. The contract of building and maintenance for the new trains was won by Siemens, the trains will belong to the VRR association, which leases them to the operator.

News paper: http://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/nachr...chreibung-um-RRX;art318,2697702#plx1086925237

After the takeover only 40% of regional trains in Northrhine-Westphalia will still be operated by Deutsche Bahn. We'll see how NX gets along with operating trains in Germany, when they are taking over their first two regional lines RE7 (Rhein-Münsterland-Express) and RB48 (Rhein-Wupper-Bahn) this december.

 

[RichmondCommu]

A few weeks a go whilst visiting my half German son who lives in Dortmund I saw a locomotive with National Express written on the side of it hauling a freight train. I'm assuming here that the locomotive belongs to the same company?

 

[gordonthemoron]

the more this happens, the less impact DB strikes will have

 

[Bletchleyite]

the more this happens, the less impact DB strikes will have

One side benefit (for passengers, of course, not those staff wishing to strike) of the UK style fragmented privatisation is that a national rail strike is now very difficult to arrange, unless Network Rail is involved, and thus the effect of one is much more limited.

 

[87015]

Nuremburg looks to be off

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ce-halts-s-bahn-nuernberg-contract-award.html
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

A few weeks a go whilst visiting my half German son who lives in Dortmund I saw a locomotive with National Express written on the side of it hauling a freight train. I'm assuming here that the locomotive belongs to the same company?

Not at all, its owned by a private freight operator. NX Germany is full of cranks who wanted a loco painted for "publicity" purposes.

 

[gordonthemoron]

That article is odd, Nuremberg isn't in Oberbayern, it's in Franken and I doubt the s-bahn ventures much further south then Niederbayern if that

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

That article is odd, Nuremberg isn't in Oberbayern, it's in Franken and I doubt the s-bahn ventures much further south then Niederbayern if that

Here are some other articles (in German, unfortunately):

http://www.br.de/nachrichten/mittelfranken/inhalt/s-bahn-nuernberg-privatisierung-abgelehnt-100.html

http://www.focus.de/regional/nuernb...-an-national-express-gestoppt_id_4644391.html

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtscha...berger-s-bahn-nicht-uebernehmen/11702278.html

But the railway authority BEG (Bayerische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) which chose NX for the Nuremberg S-Bahn already went to the Oberlandesgericht Munich.

 

[Hophead]

It's notable that these German contracts have start dates several years in the future, rather than the couple of months that we give in the UK. From the Nuremberg article, it appears that this allows the new operator to get their new stock ready for the start of the contract.

 

[Ze Random One]

It's notable that these German contracts have start dates several years in the future, rather than the couple of months that we give in the UK. From the Nuremberg article, it appears that this allows the new operator to get their new stock ready for the start of the contract.

In part that's because new operators in Germany have to source their own stock, since there has been no wholesale transfer of rolling stock away from DB.

Over here, the stock is owned by ROSCOs instead of the TOCs (with a few small exceptions), and therefore a new operator only has to negotiate with independent leasing companies to get hold of the rolling stock they need to operate the service from day 1, rather than the incumbent operator

It's also worth noting that RRX is quite different from the existing RE system, and will replace it in some areas, but supplement it in others.

Finally a number of German states seem to use the TOC bidding process as a corporate vehicle for introducing, or even financing, new rolling stock. In this case it looks like the states have bought the rolling stock themselves, but they will still need a TOC to do the final commissioning and day-to-day operations.