THE public transport authority of the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic has selected private operator RegioJet as preferred bidder for a contract to operate its electric network of regional passenger services, due to start in December 2026.

The 15-year contract has a value of Koruna 18.26bn ($US 820m) and will cover the operation of 3.3 million train-km a year. It is believed to be the largest contract by value ever won by RegioJet.

Bidding against the incumbent operator, state-owned Czech Railways (ČD), and Arriva’s Czech subsidiary Arriva Vlaky, RegioJet submitted the most economically advantageous offer, offering a price of Koruna 212.5 per km compared with the tender estimate of Koruna 280 per km.

Price was the decisive factor in the award of the contract, as it was given a 90% weighting during bid assessment alongside 10% for train capacity.

The public transport authority of Ústí nad Labem is reported to have rejected the bids of ČD and Arriva Vlaky as non-compliant. The unsuccessful bidders have two weeks to appeal against the selection of RegioJet. ČD is expected to do so, having said that it considers the tender to be unlawful.

The contract will cover the following routes, which currently have an hourly service operating at regular intervals:

  • U1 Děčín - Ústí nad Labem - Most - Kadaň
  • U2 Chomutov - Karlovy Vary
  • U3 (Děčín) - Ústí nad Labem - Litvínov
  • U32 Ústí nad Labem - Lysá nad Labem
  • U51 Ústí nad Labem - Klášterec nad Ohří, and
  • U54 (Děčín) - Ústí nad Labem - Roudnice nad Labem - (Hněvice).

The contract does not require the introduction of new rolling stock, but RegioJet will deploy 23 new Pesa Elf.eu dual-voltage low-floor EMUs that meet the technical requirements of the tender, including a maximum speed of at least 160km/h, onboard ETCS equipment and the ability to operate up to three EMUs in multiple.

These new Pesa EMUs will feature air-conditioning, passenger Wi-Fi, USB sockets, 230V power supply sockets, a first class compartment and a quiet compartment. At least 70% of the seats will be in a face-to-face configuration.

As RegioJet’s owner, Mr Radim Jančura, points out, the private operator has until now mainly purchased second-hand rolling stock for reasons of economy. “From this year we have a strategy of only new trains,” he says.

For RegioJet, this contract represents a significant milestone, as it is the company's second major award in the Ústí nad Labem region, where it already operates electric services on the Ústí nad Labem - Děčín and Ústí nad Labem - Most routes.

In March, RegioJet was awarded a contract by the Czech Ministry of Transport to operate long-distance express trains on line R9 from Prague to Brno via the Vysočina region in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands.

“From December, the possibility of directly awarding contracts without tendering will come to an end, in line with European legislation,” Jančura says. “This change requires that within the next 10 years, all railway services, which are now mostly held by Czech Railways thanks to a direct award, will be tendered again in open competition.

“RegioJet currently has a 10% market share in the Czech Republic, and we aim to gain at least another 5% every year. This successful competition, which enabled the Ústí nad Labem region to save Koruna 3.34bn, is part of this strategy.”

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