A tender for a contract to operate regional passenger services on the East Thuringia network in Germany has been published. The contract is due to commence on December 15 2024 and expire on December 13 2036.
The ministry of infrastructure of the German state of Thuringia, working with the Bavarian authority for public transport Bayerische Eisenbahngellschaft (BEG) and Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt (NASA) as well as public transport authority Zweckverband ÖPNV Vogtland, has split the contract into two parts, with Part A having two phases.
Part A’s first phase has an annual volume of 4.2 million train-km, and will operate on the following lines:
- RE12 Leipzig - Gera - Saalfeld
- RB22 Leipzig - Gera - Saalfeld
- RB13 Gera - Zeulenroda - Hof
- RB32 Saalfeld - Hockeroda - Bad Lobenstein - Blankenstein
- RB21 Erfurt - Weimar - Jena - Gera
- RB28 Jena Saal station - Orlamünde - Pößneck lower station, and
- option for RB76 Zeitz - Weißenfels.
In the second phase of the contract there is an annual volume of 4 million train-km on the following lines:
- RE12 Leipzig - Gera - Saalfeld
- RB22 Leipzig - Gera - Saalfeld
- RB13 Gera - Zeulenroda - Hof
- RB32 Saalfeld - Hockeroda - Bad Lobenstein - Blankenstein
- RB28 Jena Saal station - Orlamünde - Pößneck lower station
- RB4 Gera - Weischlitz - Adorf, and
- Option for RB76 Zeitz - Weißenfels.
Part B of the tender concentrates on regional train operations on RB26 Kranichfeld - Weimar (-Apolda), which has an annual volume of 0.4 million train km. Los B is only one stage.
