DB Regio wins contract in WANDA sub-network award procedure

DB Regio wins contract in WANDA sub-network award procedure

Schwerin. On Friday, 29 November 2024, DB Regio Nordost was awarded the contract for a limited two-year transitional contract in the Warnow sub-network of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern under the abbreviation "WANDA" ("Warnow Diesel Outlet").

Carsten Werfel, Head of the Transport Planning and Contracting Department, VMV-Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: "The new transitional contract guarantees the seamless continuation of the existing transport services. The journeys on the RB11 line from Wismar via Rostock to Tessin and RB12 from Rostock Central Station and Bad Doberan to Graal-Müritz, including the booster service between Rostock Central Station and Bad Doberan, will continue as usual from the timetable change in December 2024. From the timetable change in December 2025, the extended route of the RB 25 between Barth and Stralsund every hour will also improve the accessibility of rural and tourist areas in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen from Stralsund as part of our MV mobility offensive."

The usual diesel trains will continue to be operated until the introduction of battery-electric vehicles in the Warnow sub-network ("WARNOW II" transport contract) in December 2026. The WANDA transport contract covers 1.4 to 1.8 million train kilometres per year and comes into force with the timetable change on 15 December 2024. The Warnow sub-network covers the region around the Warnow, in particular Rostock and its surrounding area. The WANDA transitional contract thus fulfils an important role in enabling DB Regio AG to launch the second operating stage for the new "hybrid network" with all services and new battery-electric vehicles from December 2026 as part of the WARNOW II transport contract.

The first operating stage of the WARNOW II transport contract will start with the timetable change on 15 December 2020 and includes services on the Rostock S-Bahn network as well as lines to the regions, such as the RE50 Rostock - Güstrow - Neustrelitz.

Some facts and new features of the WANDA transport contract

1. 2 year term
2. Start of operations in December 2025 - term until December 2026

The following routes are served:

• RB11 Wismar - Rostock - Tessin (every hour)
• RB12 Rostock Hbf - Graal-Müritz (every hour) à Rostock - Bad Doberan section (every half hour at peak times)
• From 2026: RB25 Stralsund - Velgast - Barth (every hour)

In Velgast, it is also ensured that the transfer connections between Barth and Ribnitz-Damgarten and Rostock can be maintained.

In the 2026 timetable year, the RB25 line will be integrated into the WANDA transport contract for one year and offered with a new hourly route Stralsund - Velgast - Barth, which will then be continued in the WARNOW II transport contract in the following years.

Negotiations with the existing operator DB Regio AG by the state

Carsten Moll, Chairman of DB Regio Nordost: "We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for the WANDA network. The tried-and-tested diesel vehicles will act as a bridge for two years until the start of the new Warnow II network. The sustainable and quiet battery-electric vehicles will then run for our passengers for the first time in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."

Daniel Bischof, Managing Director of VMV-Verkehrsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said: "To ensure that the modernised diesel railcars VT642 (RB11 and RB12) and VT640 (RB25), which have been in service for more than twenty years, provide reliable service, the vehicle fleet will be expanded by three reserve vehicles, so that a total of up to 17 vehicles will be available for WANDA." He adds: "This is linked to the country's clear expectation of bringing more continuity and reliability back onto the tracks."

Background:

The abbreviation "WANDA" stands for "Warnow Diesel Phase-out". This refers to the need to transition the existing transport services with diesel vehicles from the WARNOW I (12/2024) and Barthlinie II (12/2025) transport contracts, which have since ended, in an orderly manner until new battery-electric vehicles are available in the new transport contract for the Warnow sub-network. The long-term target contract ("WARNOW II") for the Warnow sub-network, which follows WANDA, was already awarded to DB Regio AG in February 2022 following a Europe-wide tender.