DB subsidiary start to win DISA-II contract

Magdeburg, 07.07.2023. The railway company Regionalverkehre Start Deutschland GmbH (start) is to be awarded the contract for the diesel network Saxony-Anhalt II (DISA II). This decision is the result of a Europe-wide tender procedure conducted by the contracting authorities of Saxony-Anhalt, the Free State of Thuringia and the Regional Association of Greater Braunschweig. The unsuccessful bidders were informed of the decision today and have ten days to appeal.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of DB Regio AG, the company will initially operate its first network in Saxony-Anhalt. To this end, the company is setting up a regional branch in the state. A seamless transition between the current operator, Abellio, and start is planned for the timetable change in 2024; the new contract runs until 2032. For passengers, there will be little change to the timetable and the rolling stock will be taken over by start. Abellio employees will be able to transfer to the new operator and vehicle maintenance will remain in Halberstadt through the existing maintenance contract.

The network includes most of the diesel-operated lines in Saxony-Anhalt, with a performance volume of around 9.3 million train-kilometres per year, of which around 8.4 million train-kilometres are within the state's borders. This includes the Magdeburg - Wolfsburg, Harz (Halberstadt, Blankenburg, Goslar), Erfurt, Halle - Goslar, Dessau - Aschersleben, Stendal - Wolfsburg and Naumburg - Wangen lines.

The contract with the current DISA operator, Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland GmbH, will be terminated prematurely in 2024 after the company got into financial difficulties in 2021 and entered into insolvency proceedings. In view of the insolvency proceedings, all parties involved have reached a settlement agreement which has led to the early re-tendering of the diesel network.