Transport contract runs for another 15 years

[Translate to Englisch:] Zur Unterzeichnung des Verkehrsvertrages trafen sich (v.l.n.r.) Christian Berndt, Geschäftsführer LNVG, Carmen Schwabl, LNVG, Peter Panitz, Geschäftsführer NASA GmbH, Dr. Lydia Hüskens, Verkehrsministerin Sachsen-Anhalt, Ralf Sygusch, Verbandsdirektor Regionalverband Großraum Braunschweig, Christine Singer, Vorsitzende der DB Regio Südost, Frank Bretzger, Leiter Vertragsmanagement DB Regio Südost und Thomas Dill, Bereichsleiter Center für Nahverkehr- und Qualitätsmanagement des VBB.

In March last year, DB Regio AG was awarded the Elektronetz Nord Magdeburg (ENORM) contract. Today, the railway company's representatives met with the relevant authorities and Saxony-Anhalt's State Minister for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs, Dr Lydia Hüskens, to sign the contract. Operations are set to begin in December 2028, bringing a number of improvements for passengers.

With this tender, the contracting authorities — Saxony-Anhalt (NASA GmbH), Regionalverband Großraum Braunschweig, Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen mbH, and the State of Brandenburg — have set the course for sustainable local transport. "In addition to the new, high-quality trains, the S-Bahn service will be improved, particularly for commuters, with trains running every 30 minutes between Magdeburg and Burg. The capacity of the RE20 and RB40 lines will also be significantly increased during peak times,” said Transport Minister Hüskens, providing details about the new service. However, she emphasised once again that this would only be possible if the planned infrastructure measures by DB InfraGo were implemented on time.

'We are proud to have been awarded the Elektro-Netz Nord Magdeburg contract, for which we worked hard for many months. This success confirms our competitiveness and expertise in the region, and will form the basis for modern, customer-oriented local transport in Saxony-Anhalt in the years to come," says Christine Singer, Chair of the Regional Management Board at DB Regio AG Südost.  

The ENORM contract covers up to 8.4 million train kilometres per year, around 7.1 million of which will be in Saxony-Anhalt. It includes the S1 (Schönebeck–Bad Salzelmen–Magdeburg Central Station–Burg–Genthin), S2 (Magdeburg Central Station–Zielitz), RB30 (Halle (Saale) Central Station–Magdeburg Central Station–Wittenberge), RB40 (Braunschweig Central Station–Magdeburg Central Station) and RE20 (Magdeburg Central Station–Stendal Central Station–Uelzen) lines.

Under the new ENORM contract, the S-Bahn service on the Magdeburg–Burg section will be expanded to a 30-minute interval from Monday to Friday. Magdeburg and Zielitz will also be connected every 30 minutes by the hourly S2 and RB30 lines, as will Magdeburg and Schönebeck. The RB30 line between Halle (Saale), Köthen, Magdeburg, Stendal and Wittenberge enables new connections with fewer changes. Accelerating the RE20 service between Magdeburg and Uelzen is expected to reduce journey times by 15 minutes.

"Mobility means freedom. Freedom also includes having a genuine choice of transport. We want people in Saxony-Anhalt to be able to choose freely between all forms of mobility. This requires well-developed infrastructure, including cycle paths, roads, and attractive local public transport services. We are working on this every day,' concluded Lydia Hüskens. The new ENORM transport contract is a prime example of this commitment. neue ENORM-Verkehrs­vertrag sei ein gelebtes Beispiel dafür.