A contract to operate regional trains services around Würzburg in southern Germany has been suspended following an appeal by losing bidder DB Regio.
The Mainfranken tender was jointly launched in two lots last year by Bavarian public transport authority BEG and its Frankfurt-area counterpart RMV, for operations totalling 7.2 million train-km each year between December 2030 and December 2042.
After bids closed in April, the partners chose to award the contract to Agilis, a subsidiary of private operator BeNEX. The value of the contract was not disclosed. However, German Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Regio, which currently operates the services, has applied to the Southern Bavarian Public Procurement Office to have the decision reviewed.
As a result, BEG and RMV announced on October 15 that the contract process was suspended until the matter has been resolved. It is not known how long this will take.
Lot 1 includes express lines RE 10 Würzburg - Neustadt (Aisch) - Nuremberg, RE 54 Frankfurt - Würzburg - Schweinfurt - Bamberg, and RE 55 Frankfurt - Würzburg with a total of around 4.2 million-km annually.
Lot 2 includes regional S-Bahn lines from Flieden and Jossa via Würzburg to Marktbreit and from Würzburg to Kitzingen, as well as stopping services from Würzburg via Schweinfurt to Bamberg, with a total of around 3 million train-km each year.
