Arriva is guaranteed to operate on three express lines until 2027
No other carrier was interested in operating diesel express trains.
Arriva Trains is the only carrier with which the Ministry of Transport is negotiating a new contract for the operation of the R21, R22 and R24 express lines. During the one-year notification, no other carrier was interested in operating on these routes. It will also be clear in a few weeks how the Ministry of Transport will deal with traffic on the R26 and R27 lines.
“As the interest of another carrier was not shown during the one-year notification period, we are negotiating the content of the contract only with the current carrier Arriva trains. In a similar way, contracts on the R9 and R10 lines were concluded with the Czech Railways carrier in the last year, for which no alternative offer from another carrier was also available. “ said the spokesman of the Ministry of Transport Martin Brychta.
The deadline for submitting bids expired at the beginning of January. Arrival paid off first bet a shorter contract for three years, which he received from the Ministry of Transport in 2019. Finally, he will have a longer contract for a longer longer.
According to the legislation, the Ministry may award a contract by so-called direct award. In the case of Arrival, these are the lines R21 Prague – Turnov – Tanvald, R22 Kolín – Česká Lípa – Nový Bor and R24 Prague – Kladno – Rakovník. The same 845 series units should remain at these performances until 2027. “We are discussing various options for improving the quality of vehicles deployed on these routes,“Said Arriva Trains spokesman Jan Holub last year.
The selection for the two express lines is expected to end at the end of March
The fate of the R26 Prague – Příbram – České Budějovice and R27 Olomouc – Opava – Ostrava express lines is still unclear. For both, the contract expires in December this year, but no decision has been made on the administrator. In the first case, Arriva runs on the route, in the second Czech Railways.
The Ministry of Transport sent a notification for the conclusion of a new contract for these lines only last year. “Given that the one-year period from the publication of the basic information for direct entry in the Official Journal of the EU expires on 26 March, it will not be possible to decide on the next steps in the negotiation of public service contracts at R26 and R27 until that date,Brychta added. If an offer comes from another carrier, the ministry will proceed with the so-called shootout and will decide primarily on the price.
Together with the R14 Ústí nad Labem – Liberec – Pardubice express line, all contracts for the operation of express lines with motor units will expire in 2027. After that, the Ministry of Transport will have to select a carrier in an open competition.
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