Press releases

Arriva plc, one of Europe's leading transport operators, has won the contract to operate rail services between Freilassing and Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, southern Germany from December 2009.

Arriva's rail subsidiary Regentalbahn AG, working as part of a consortium with Austrian operator Salzsburg AG, was selected by Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH (BEG) after submitting a strong bid.

The consortium intends to improve the travelling experience with the introduction of new trains and a range of ticketing options aimed at increasing off-peak and tourist services. It also offers good value for BEG, the Bavarian government body responsible for the contract.

The 12-year contract is anticipated to generate revenue over €55 million (£37.9 million) over its lifetime for the consortium.

The consortium will operate five new two-car Stadler Flirt trains and cover nearly 500 thousand kilometres a year.

The air-conditioned, easy access trains will be in service for the start of the contract and operate every half an hour between Freilassing and Bad Reichenhall and approximately hourly between Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden. The contract will provide ideal connections to services to Münich, Salzburg and Mühldorf and could offer future opportunities for expansion into the Austrian rail market.

The management of the contract will primarily be carried out from Arriva's Regentalbahn office in Viechtach. This will provide opportunities for shared administration and operational best practice, resources and facilities.

The consortium will employ around 25 people. Recruitment for drivers and conductors will start in the New Year.

Commenting on the contract win Arriva's chief executive David Martin said:

This is our second rail contract win in Bavaria within the last five months. Our partnership with Salzsburg AG will provide opportunities to share expertise and resources that will benefit our customers and BEG, the contracting body.

The tendering process was open to any EU transport operator. Competitors included current operator Deutsche Bahn and Veolia.

Notes to editors

• Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in mainland Europe. It employs nearly 33,000 people and provides more than one billion passenger journeys every year.
• Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses in nine European countries – Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
• Arriva entered the German transport market in April 2004 with the acquisition of Prignitzer Eisenbahn Gruppe, which operates rail services in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, Berlin and Mecklenberg-Western Pomerania. In September 2004 Arriva acquired a 76.9 per cent share holding in Regentalbahn which provides rail services in Eastern Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony and to the Czech Republic. This share was increased to 92.9 per cent in late 2005 and 100 per cent in June 2006.
  
  In November 2005 Arriva announced that it had won the contract to operate rail services between Munich, Hof and Furth im Wald in Bavaria from December 2007. In July 2006, the Group announced that it had won the contract to operate rail services between Munich, Oberstdorf in the Bavarian Alps and Lindau, southern Germany.
  
  Arriva entered the German bus market in February 2005. The Group operates Sippel, which provides services in the Rhine-Main area, and Verkehrsbetriebe Bils KG (Bils) which operates in the Münsterland region.