Abellio Germany to operate 12 lines of Saxony-Anhalt network

Public transport company NASA is to award Abellio Germany the contract to operate Lots A and B of the Saxony-Anhalt diesel network (DISA).

On 15 December 2015, Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland was named preferred bidder to operate Lots A and B of the Saxony-Anhalt diesel network by Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt (NASA) on behalf of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, the Zweckverband Großraum Braunschweig and the Free State of Thuringia. Subject to the statutory ten-day appeal period, the contract for the tendered lots will become legally binding on 25 December 2015.

Abellio Germany to operate 50 Coradia Lint trains on 12 lines in Saxony-Anhalt

The concession will commence in December 2018 with Abellio operating 50 Coradia Lint trains on 12 lines in Saxony-Anhalt covering 8.6 million train kilometres annually. The two awarded lots include the follow services:

Lot A

• RX 11/21/31: Magdeburg – Halberstadt – Thale / Blankenburg / Goslar with two trains on weekends to and from Berlin
• RX 4/24: Halle (Saale) – Halberstadt – Goslar
• RB 43: Magdeburg – Oschersleben

Lot B

• RB 35: Stendal – Wolfsburg
• RB 36: Magdeburg – Wolfsburg with additional Express Services
• RB 41: Magdeburg – Güsten – Aschersleben
• RB 50: Dessau – Güsten – Aschersleben
• RX 10: Magdeburg – Sangerhausen – Erfurt
• RB 77: Naumburg (Saale) – Nebra – Wangen

Abellio will provide services to Berlin for the first time via RX11, making stops at Magdeburg via Potsdam. Other routes include Halle (Saale) to Goslar (via Aschersleben and Halberstadt), from Wolfsburg to Magdeburg, or from Stendal to Wolfsburg.

Reacting to the announcement, Stephan Krenz, Chairman of the Abellio GmbH Executive Board, said: “With the Saxony-Anhalt diesel network, Abellio is permanently underlining its ambition to become the leading provider of passenger rail transport in Central Germany. We are facing up to our rail competitors and, this year, have already won three tenders. This prospective contract from NASA is a further milestone for Abellio as a service-oriented rail service provider.”

Dirk Ballerstein, Managing Director of Abellio Rail Central Germany, added: “For us in central Germany, the expansion of our portfolio represents a further milestone which we look forward to undertaking with absolute dedication.”