National Express confirmed as Nuremberg S-Bahn operator

The public transport authority of Bavaria (BEG) has confirmed National Express will operate services on the Nuremberg S-Bahn following a legal conflict.

The German public transport authority Bayerische Eisenbahn Gesellschaft (BEG) has confirmed National Express Rail GmbH (NX) has been chosen to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn for a 12 year period form December 2018. The decision comes after an appeal against the award process by incumbent operator DB Regio and concerns highlighting the financial stability of the German division of National Express.

National Express concession to commence in December 2018 for 12 years

The public transport authority confirmed the awarded concession following a ruling by the High Regional Court (OLG) in Munich stating National Express Rail GmbH had provided sufficient evidence to confirm the division is financially secure without taking into account financial guarantees of the British parent company. The authority also confirmed DB Regio will remain operator of the diesel network in Nuremberg until 2031.

On 02 February 2015, BEG announced National Express as the preferred bidder to operate commuter rail services covering five rail lines in Baveria, Germany’s second most populous state. This service carries approximately 16 million passengers a year of which 80 percent are commuters. The two 12-year contracts are expected to generate revenues in excess of €1.4bn.

“We look forward to providing the people of Nuremberg with a high quality service”

Commenting on the award conformation a National Express Spokesperson said: “We are delighted with the decision. We look forward to providing the people of Nuremberg with a high quality service in the coming years and are pleased to be able to now focus on putting our plans into practice. We have now secured €4 billion of revenues in German rail and have a further €4 billion in our active pipeline of future bids.”