The European Investment Bank (EIB) has contributed €170 million in financing for new regional passenger trains in the greater Berlin area.
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From 11 December 2022, Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn Ltd (ODEG) will serve the regional RE1 train line from Magdeburg to Cottbus via Berlin and Frankfurt/Oder with modern Desiro HC trains built by Siemens.
Departing every 20 minutes, each train will offer between 637 and 800 seats. This will increase line capacity by 70% at peak traffic times.
ODEG will put a total of 29 new Siemens Desiro HC trains into service, in addition to refurbishing 16 existing KISS regional express trains and adding eight new Alstom multiple-unit trains to the six lines in the Elbe-Spree network from March 2023.
The acquisitions were made through a leasing arrangement with DAL Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing, financed by the EIB together with a syndicate between Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CACIB) and Allianz Global Investors GmbH (Allianz GI) acting on behalf of multiple investors.
The new trains financed by the EIB will be leased to ODEG by DAL Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing. In January 2019, ODEG was awarded a contract in a Europe-wide tender by the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) to operate a total of six lines in the Elbe-Spree network.
The lease structure has the advantage of allowing new trains to be purchased for regional railway lines irrespective of the contract term.
In Germany, regional rail transport is co-financed by the federal states. Europe-wide calls for tender are regularly held for contracts to stimulate competition among suppliers.
The term of ODEG’s contract for the Elbe-Spree network is 12 years. The new trains can remain on the network for at least an additional 12 years, regardless of who wins the operator contract in the next tender.
The EIB has also co-financed regional train leasing arrangements with partners elsewhere in Germany: for example, for the Nuremberg — Regensburg — Plattling line of the private railway holding company BeNEX. ■