National Express Germany

Last updated

National Express Germany
Industry Rail transport
Founded13 December 2015
Headquarters
Cologne
,
Germany
Owner Mobico Group
Website www.nationalexpress.de

National Express Germany is a railway operator in Germany. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British transport company Mobico Group.

Contents

National Express gained its first regional rail contracts in February 2013 and commenced operations on 13 December 2015. While the Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft awarded the company a separate contract to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn system in January 2015, this decision was strongly opposed by the Germany national train operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) and National Express Germany opted to withdraw its bid in October 2016 due to the legal challenge's disruption. Nevertheless, the company was awarded parts two and three of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express in June 2015, which National Express Germany commenced between June 2019 and December 2020. During January 2022, National Express was awarded an emergency contract to replace Abellio GmbH in the operation of services in North Rhine-Westphalia; a long term contract covering the same services followed one year later.

History

Bombardier Talent 2 at Solingen in December 2015 National Express Talent 2.JPG
Bombardier Talent 2 at Solingen in December 2015

In February 2013, National Express was awarded a pair of regional rail contracts in Germany by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, Zweckverband Nahverkehr Rheinland and Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe authorities. [1] [2] The company has anticipated that around 18 million passengers shall use the associated services annually, which would cumulatively generate around €1.6 billion of revenue. [3] Services under these contracts commenced on 13 December 2015. [4] [5]

In January 2015, the Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft awarded National Express a separate contract to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn system. [6] [7] It was set to commence in December 2018, taking over from the incumbent operator, the German state owned operator DB Regio, and would have been the first Deutsche Bahn (DB) S-Bahn network to be taken over by a private operator. However, DB unsuccessfully appealed the award by questioning the financial stability of National Express Germany. [8] [9] In October 2016, National Express withdrew its bid, stated that an inability to order new rolling stock during the protracted legal process instituted by DB would make its bid unviable. [10] [11] In response to gains by competing companies, DB reportedly launched efforts to reduce costs and sought to retain as much of its profitable regional services as possible. [12]

In June 2015, National Express was awarded parts two and three of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express, which commenced in stages between June 2019 and December 2020. [13] [14]

During January 2022, following the financial difficulties of Abellio GmbH, National Express was awarded an emergency contract to operate services in North Rhine-Westphalia (Rhein-Express (RE/RRX 1) Aachen-Hamm and Rhein-Express (RE11) Düsseldorf-Kassel) for a two year period starting in February 2022. [15] In January 2023, the company was issued with a longer-term contract to operate the RE1 and RE11 Rhein-Ruhr-Express lines through to 2033. This contract, valued at €1 billion, made National Express the second largest rail transport company operating in the region, covering an anticipated 20 million train kilometres in 2023. [16] [17]

Services

LineNetworkRouteContract commencesContract finishes
RB 48 Rhein-Wupper-Bahn Bonn-Mehlem - Bonn - Köln - Solingen - Wuppertal [18] December 2015December 2030
RE 7 Rhein-Münsterland-Express Krefeld - Neuss - Köln - Solingen - Wuppertal - Hagen - Hamm - Münster - Rheine [19] December 2015December 2030
RE 5 Rhein-Express Koblenz - Köln - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Oberhausen - Wesel June 2019December 2033
RE 6 Westfalen-Express Köln/Bonn Flughafen - Köln - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Hamm - Minden December 2019December 2033
RE 4 Wupper-Express Aachen - Mönchengladbach - Düsseldorf - Hagen - Dortmund December 2020December 2033
RE 1 NRW-Express Aachen - Köln - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Dortmund - Hamm February 2022December 2030
RE 11 Rhein-Hellweg-Express Hamm - Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf February 2022December 2030

Rolling stock

The initial rolling stock operated by National Express was a fleet of 35 Bombardier Talent 2 electric multiple-units (EMUs) ordered in June 2013. Configured either as three-car and five-car sets, these trains can reach speeds of up to 100mph and have been furnished with interiors designed for accessibility and comfort, providing both first and standard-class seating along with multi-purpose areas to accommodate prams, wheelchairs and bikes. [5] [20] These were sold back to the Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association and Westphalia-Lippe Local Transport and leased back to National Express for the duration of the contract. [21] [22] [23]

The Rhein-Ruhr-Express services are operated by Siemens Desiro HC double-decker EMUs. [24] Based and serviced at the RRX depot in Dortmund, these trains provide 800 seats (200 seats greater than available aboard the previous generation of rolling stock) along with platform-level doors, air conditioning throughout, power outlets at the seats, and free onboard Wi-Fi. For greater continence and ease of operation, the Desire HC series is outfitted with advanced passenger information systems and an intelligent and predictive train diagnostics system along with extensive digital networking. [25] [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobico Group</span> Transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England

Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, and Morocco and long-distance coach services across Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn</span> German railway network covering the Rhine-Ruhr region

The Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn is a polycentric and electrically driven S-bahn network covering the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region in the German federated state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This includes most of the Ruhr, the Berg cities of Wuppertal and Solingen and parts of the Rhineland. The easternmost city within the S-Bahn Rhine-Ruhr network is Unna, the westernmost city served is Mönchengladbach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S28 (Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn)</span> Line in the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn network

The S28 Regiobahn is a S-Bahn line in the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn network. It is operated by Transdev Rheinland GmbH as a subcontractor of Regiobahn Fahrbetriebsgesellschaft mbH, who is the PSO operator on behalf of Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR).

Abellio Deutschland is a public transit operator in Germany operating bus and rail networks. Headquartered in Berlin, it is a subsidiary of the Dutch state-owned Abellio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Express</span>

The Rhein-Express is a Regional-Express service, which generally follows the Rhine river. It runs daily every hour from 5 am to 9 pm from Wesel via Oberhausen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Remagen and Andernach to Koblenz, in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the fourth-most used regional express line in the VRR network with approximately 48,000 passengers a day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NRW-Express</span> Regional-Express service in North Rhine-Westphalia

The NRW-Express is a Regional-Express rail service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), running from Aachen via Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Bochum and Dortmund to Hamm as line RE 1. The line is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX) network and is operated by National Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Weser-Express</span> Passenger train

The Rhein Weser Express is a Regional-Express service route in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, connecting some of the most important cities in Westphalia with the Ruhr. Cologne, Neuss, Düsseldorf and Duisburg lie on the Rhine while Minden lies on the Weser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Münsterland-Express</span>

The Rhein-Münsterland-Express is a Regional-Express service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The hourly service initially runs to the south east from Krefeld via Neuss to Cologne and then turns to run to the northeast via Solingen, Wuppertal, Hagen to Münster. Every two hours it continues to Rheine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wupper-Express</span> Regional train service in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany

The Wupper-Express is a Regional-Express service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) running between Aachen and Dortmund via Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, Wuppertal and Hagen. It is the third most widely used Regional-Express line in the area administered by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) with approximately 24,000 passengers a day. The line is part of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express (RRX) network and is operated by National Express Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Hellweg-Express</span> Regional-Express service in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The Rhein-Hellweg-Express is a Regional-Express service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), running from Kassel via Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Duisburg and Düsseldorf Airport to Düsseldorf Hbf. It is named after the Rhine and the Westphalian Hellweg. The line is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX) network and is operated by National Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Haard-Express</span> Regional-Express service in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Emscher-Express</span> Regional-Express service in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein-Wupper-Bahn</span> Railway line in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The Rhein-Wupper-Bahn is a Regionalbahn service in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It connects the cities of Wuppertal, Solingen, Leverkusen, Cologne and Bonn and it is operated by National Express.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bocholt–Wesel railway</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruhr-Lenne-Express</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wupper-Lippe-Express</span>

The Wupper-Lippe-Express is an hourly Regional-Express service in German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which forms part of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn. It connects Wesel with Wuppertal Hauptbahnhof via Oberhausen and Essen.

References

  1. ↑ "National Express celebrates German rail success". National Express. 7 February 2013.
  2. ↑ "National Express plans German invasion". The Daily Telegraph . 7 February 2013.
  3. ↑ Brown, Graeme (27 September 2013). "National Express lands £1.35bn German train deal". business-live.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "National Express starts two contracts on RME in Germany". Railway Technology. 15 December 2015.
  5. 1 2 Sadler, Katie (14 December 2015). "National Express begins rail operations in Germany". globalrailwayreview.com.
  6. ↑ "National Express selected for Nuerenburg S-Bahn operating contract". Railway Gazette International. 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "BEG confirms National Express as Nuernberg S-Bahn operator". Railway Gazette International. 16 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Sadler, Katie (16 December 2015). "National Express confirmed as Nuremberg S-Bahn operator". globalrailwayreview.com.
  9. ↑ "National Express clears Nuremberg S-Bahn legal hurdle". International Railway Journal. 16 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "National Express pulls out of Nuernburg S-Bahn bidding". Railway Gazette International. 25 October 2016.
  11. ↑ Wright, Robert (25 October 2016). "National Express pulls plans to operate German suburban trains". Financial Times.
  12. ↑ "Germany: Bahn-storming". globalrailwayreview.com. 23 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "National Express steams further into Germany". The Daily Telegraph. 16 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "National Express and Abellio win Rhein-Ruhr Express contracts". Railway Gazette International. 16 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Concessions Given to Other Operators". railway-news.com. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Robinson, Elliot (23 January 2023). "National Express Group awarded €1 Billion German rail contract". globalrailwayreview.com.
  17. ↑ "UK's National Express rises as German rail unit wins $1.1 bln contract". Reuters. 23 January 2023.
  18. ↑ RB 48 National Express (German)
  19. ↑ RE 7 National Express (German)
  20. ↑ "Bombardier wins order to supply TALENT 2 trains for National Express". globalrailwayreview.com. 4 June 2013.
  21. ↑ "National Express orders Talent 2 emus for Germany". International Railway Journal. 4 June 2013.
  22. ↑ "National Express Talent 2 EMU rolled out". Railway Gazette International. 28 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "National Express launches first Bombardier Talent 2 train". Railway Technology. 3 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "Rhein-Ruhr-Express depot construction launched". Railway Gazette International. 7 March 2017.
  25. ↑ "Siemens delivers the RRX train fleet". railwaypro.com. 24 December 2020.
  26. ↑ "Germany's Federal Railway Authority (EBA) officially approved the electric multiple unit (EMU) trains built by Siemens Mobility for the Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX)". europawire.eu. 6 December 2018.
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