Arriva secures operation of three fast train lines until 2027
In a few weeks it should also be clear how the Ministry of Transport will deal with the operation of the R26 and R27 lines.
No other carrier was interested in operating diesel fast trains, Arriva vlaky is therefore the only carrier with which the Ministry of Transport is negotiating a new contract for the operation of the fast train lines R21, R22 and R24.
“As no other carrier has shown interest during the one-year notification period, we are negotiating the content of the contract only with the existing carrier Arriva,” said Ministry of Transport spokesman Martin Brychta.
The deadline for submitting bids passed in January. Arriva’s bet on the initially shorter three-year contract concluded in 2019 thus paid off. In the end, the carrier will have a much longer contract with the Ministry of Transport. Under EU legislation, the ministry can award the contract through what is known as a direct award. In the case of Arriva, the lines in question are the R21, R22 and R24. The same CZ class 845 units should remain on these routes until 2027.
Carrier for two fast train lines to be contracted at the end of March
The contract for fast train lines R26 and R27 expires this December, but the decision on the carrier has not been made yet. The operators are Arriva and Czech Railways respectively. The Ministry of Transport sent a notification to conclude a new contract for these lines only last year; negotiating new contracts can begin after March 26. If an offer is received from another carrier, the ministry will proceed to a shoot-out and will decide mainly on the basis of price.
Together with the R14 line, all contracts for the operation of fast trains with diesel units will expire in 2027. After that, the Ministry of Transport will have to choose carriers in open tenders.
Fast train line routes for DMU
R14 Usti nad Labem – Liberec – Pardubice
R21 Prague – Turnov – Tanvald
R22 Kolin – Ceska Lipa – Novy Bor
R24 Prague – Kladno – Rakovnik
R26 Prague – Pribram – Ceske Budejovice
R27 Olomouc – Opava – Ostrava