The Berlin Senate and the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) have awarded the operation of the S-Bahn network to a consortium consisting of S-Bahn Berlin (a subsidiary of DB Regio) and Stadler-Siemens Mobility.
The companies, which already operate the Ringbahn under concession (S41, S42, S46, S47 and S8), will be responsible for the supply of 1,400 new cars of the 483 and 484 series and will operate the city’s main north-south and east-west lines.
However, the process has been marked by controversy following a challenge by Alstom, which lost out to the Stadler-Siemens consortium in the initial phase of the tender.
Trenvista Premium te lleva directo, sin anuncios que hagan descarrilar tu lectura ni tu paciencia.
Únete por sólo 35€ al año, disfruta de contenidos exclusivos, más ventajas y cancela cuando quieras.
★ Empieza ahora
The French company has criticised that the tender allows a single group to win all four lots to build, maintain and operate the trains, which it considers detrimental to free competition.
Although the courts have partially upheld its complaints, they have not annulled the award, so it is likely to continue with further legal challenges in the coming months, which could delay the planned timetable.
The contract, divided into four lots, covers the operation of the lines of the Stadtbahn sub-network (S3, S5, S7 and S9) and the Nord-Süd axis (S1, S2, S25 and S26). The other two lots cover the supply of rolling stock and the joint maintenance of the two sub-networks.
The contracts will run for 15 years and will be activated in 2029 (Stadtbahn) and 2030 (Nord-Süd).