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In British hands

Dagmar BreitenbachFebruary 6, 2015

A British rail operator is set to take over the S-Bahn commuter rail system in the southern German city of Nuremberg. Deutsche Bahn has said it fights for every train it can get in Bavaria.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EWX4
Bright red S-Bahn car Nürnberg
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Karmann

National Express Rail has won a contract to operate S-Bahn train service in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg from 2018 to 2030 - snapping up a bit of track on Deutsche Bahn's (DB) turf. In the UK, the parent company National Express Group, runs trains and the main scheduled national coach service.

"This is a great success for the whole group and a growth opportunity that will double our turnover in Germany," National Express Rail CEO Tobias Richter told DW.

National Express is also to take over regional rail services in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, as of December 2015.

Though DB, the German national rail operator, already runs services in Britain, and in 2010 took over Arriva, one of the UK's biggest bus and rail firms, British train operators have until now not managed to make similar inroads in Germany.

Plans to offer high-quality service

The loss of the Nuremberg S-Bahn comes as a blow to Deutsche Bahn, which operates almost all of Germany's S-Bahn commuter service trains.

"The Nuremberg city train network is regarded as one of Germany's best, and is known for its punctuality," Franz Lindemair, spokesman for DB Regio Bavaria, said in a statement, adding that DB regretted that the contract had gone to a British company.

"Deutsche Bahn fights for every train in Bavaria, and quite successfully so far," he said. Germany's rail operator would now analyze the bidding situation, he added.

Beginning in December 2018, National Express Rail is set to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn network's five rail lines, which currently transport 20 million passengers every year. "We intend to offer higher quality," CEO Richter said, adding that 38 brand-new trains are being ordered and every train will be "accompanied by security teams in the evening."

Richter cautioned that the "final decision has not yet been made" as National Express Rail expects DB to appeal the decision by the Bavarian public transport authority. "But we're prepared and optimistic," he said.