BAVARIAN Railway (BEG) announced on February 9 that it is retendering a contract to operate fast services between and Munich and Hof in southern Germany.
The East Bavaria Express Trains contract covers the operation of regional express Line RE2 from the end of 2028 to the end of 2043 with a volume of 2.2 million train-km each year. The deadline for bids is August 28.
Under the new contract, there will be two operating stages. In the second stage, from the end of 2030, bi-mode trains will be used for the first time in Bavaria, removing the need to change between diesel and electric traction at Regensburg.
“The requirement for hybrid vehicles means operators will require a longer lead time, which is why the contract is divided into two stages,” says Christian Bernreiter, Bavaria's transport minister and chairman of the supervisory board of BEG.
This will be the second attempt to tender the Munich - Hof contract. The previous tender, launched in 2024, was withdrawn on “economic grounds” after the single bid received was deemed to be too expensive. Services are currently operated by DB Regio.
Cross-border tender
BEG is also leading a new tender for the operation of cross-border services between Munich and Prague, following the withdrawal of two previous tenders in 2024. BEG and the Czech Ministry of Transport are this time undertaking a two-stage procurement process, with only three bidders from the first stage invited to proceed to the second stage.
The contract is for the operation of 2.8 million train-km each year, with nine train pairs per day operating every 2 hours. The 15-year contract will run from December 14 2031 to December 8 2046. The deadline for bids under the first stage is March 6.
BEG and the ministry will then negotiate with the three parties selected to proceed to the second stage before announcing their preferred bidder. The successful operator will be required to order new trains, capable of reversing en route at Schwandorf in Germany. The new fleet must be equipped with ETCS Level 2 and each train must seat at least 500 passengers, with a minimum of 54 in first class and 446 in second class.
Interim arrangements
Munich – Prague services are currently operated jointly by Czech Railways (ČD) and private operator Die Länderbahn, a subsidiary of Trenitalia-owned Netinera, running under the Alex brand as Line RE36/Ex36. As the contract between the Czech Ministry of Transport and ČD for the Czech section of the route expires at the end of this year, the ministry is running a tender for an interim contract for the period 2026-31. Two bids have been received from ČD and Leo Express, priced at Koruna 757.2m ($US 37.23m) and Koruna 427.5m respectively.
The existing contract between BEG and Netinera, covering the German section of the route, is due to expire at the end of 2027. BEG has yet to decide on whether to launch a tender for a contract covering 2027-2031 or to make alternative arrangements.
