Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - A new operator is being sought for the Saxony-Anhalt diesel network with immediate effect. The Nahverkehrsservice Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH has started the award procedure for the diesel network Saxony-Anhalt II (DISA II), the company announced on Wednesday in Magdeburg. Diesel vehicles drive on the 16 railway lines of the network in Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and the Braunschweig region. The award procedure should be completed by October 2023. The railway company Abellio, which has been operating on the route so far, is not allowed to participate.
It has been clear since June that with the timetable change in 2024 there will be no more Abellio trains on the diesel network. As part of insolvency proceedings, the transport company and the authorities had agreed to end the contract early in December 2024. The transport contract for the Saale-Thuringia-South Harz network, also held by Abellio, will continue unchanged.
The contract includes the lines from Magdeburg and Halle in the northern Harz region, Magdeburg - Erfurt, Magdeburg - Aschersleben and the connections from Magdeburg and Stendal to Wolfsburg. The new contractor must take over the existing vehicles. For employees from the previous network, a simple transition to the new operator should be made possible. The new transport contract runs from December 2024 to December 2032.
According to NASA, the diesel network accounts for almost 31 percent of all rail traffic ordered by the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The scope of services in DISA II corresponds to around 9.2 million train kilometers per year, around 8.35 million of which are in Saxony-Anhalt. The Free State of Thuringia accounts for around 0.4 million train kilometers per year, and around 0.44 million in the Braunschweig regional association.
