BAVARIAN Railway Company (BEG) has launched a tender for the Mühldorf Star Network 2025+ contract to operate passenger services around Mühldorf, about 75km east of Munich. The tender includes services on the following lines, starting from the introduction of the 2025 timetable:
- Mühldorf - Simbach
- Mühldorf - Passau
- Mühldorf - Landshut
- Mühldorf - Burghausen
- Mühldorf - Salzburg
- Mühldorf - Rosenheim
- Mühldorf - Traunstein
- Traunstein - Traunreut
- Munich - Wasserburg
- Traunstein - Waging
- Prien - Aschau
- (Landshut -) Neufahrn - Bogen, and
- Munich - Mühldorf.
The contract will run until 2035, with options to extend parts until 2038. The operator will be responsible for collecting revenue, while BEG will take on revenue risk. BEG will deploy its quality monitoring system to track service quality and performance.
The level of services provided will change in stages, initially operating at the same level as the 2022 timetable. From the 2027 timetable, services on the Wasserbug am Inn - Grafing - Munich route will be removed to become part of the Munich S-Bahn following electrification of the Ebersberg - Wasserburg am Inn section.
The third stage will begin following the introduction of the 2029 timetable and the opening of the double-track Trunk Line 2 S-Bahn line through central Munich. The opening of the tunnel between Munich main station and Munich East station will fundamentally change services between Munich and Regensburg. Services on the Bogen - Straubing - Neufahrn in Niederbayern line will subsequently be extended to Landshut main station at two-hourly intervals.
DB Network has informed BEG that the upgrading of the Munich - Mühldorf line has been delayed, which could affect services within the contract.
Bidders must submit information on four options for rolling stock:
- operation with new or second-hand diesel vehicles without facilities for passengers with reduced mobility
- operation with diesel vehicles with facilities for passengers with reduced mobility
- operation with diesel vehicles without facilities for passengers with reduced mobility, along with hydrogen vehicles for line RB42 between Mühldorf and Burghausen, and
- operation with diesel vehicles with facilities for passengers with reduced mobility, along with hydrogen vehicles for line RB42.
Based on the information received, BEG will then negotiate with bidders on the specifications in their final offers. Other specific topics for negotiation are:
- vehicle fleet and other specifications for trains
- options for reducing costs
- timetables and operations optimisation
- sales, and
- financial guarantees and financial arrangement for and during the manufacture of new trains for the contract.
Bids must be received by BEG before 12.00 on June 17.
