OSTA award procedure starts

Schwerin, 12 October 2022 The next award procedure for local rail passenger transport (SPNV) starts in autumn. It concerns the regional express line (RE1) with the highest demand in the state. The local rail passenger transport services on the line between Hamburg and Rostock will be tendered in the Ostsee-Alster (OSTA) subnetwork. Together with the neighbouring states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg in northern Germany, the operator of the regional express line 1 will be sought from December 2026 for a period of 14 timetable years until 2040.

The OSTA subnetwork will start with a service volume of 3.4 million train-kilometres in the northern German states from the start of operations. From 2030, further line sections from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to and from Lübeck will be added, so that from this time onwards a total of 4.3 million train kilometres per year are to be provided until the end of the contract in December 2040. After the expansion in the course of the Fehmarnbelt hinterland connection, these can then be served in an environmentally friendly electric manner. The requirements profile of the contract award takes into account numerous innovations such as a connection between Rostock and Lübeck without changing trains, a night service between Hamburg and Büchen as well as a holistic equipment concept for the vehicles including a new vehicle design and WLAN. Digitalisation will play a central role in the areas of passenger information and sales.

Carsten Werfel, head of department for awarding contracts and transport planning at VMV Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, emphasises: "Anyone who wants to be present with high-quality RE services on the coast between Hamburg/Lübeck and Schwerin/Rostock in the longer term must not miss this tender. The award procedure will last until autumn 2023."

The aim of the procedure is to procure new trains that enable more journeys and thus higher capacities. The award procedure will last until mid-2023.

Interested bidders can apply via the contract notice in the EU Official Journal (ref. 2022/S 197-559988) and the TED link  2022/S 197-559988 inform you in more detail.