Deutsche Bahn is suing Schleswig-Holstein: dispute over the Kiel-Hamburg route!

Deutsche Bahn is suing Schleswig-Holstein: dispute over the Kiel-Hamburg route!

In a legal dispute that concerns rail connections between Kiel and Hamburg, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The dispute revolves around the award of the relevant railway line, which is to be publicly negotiated in October, as Tageblatt reports. The dispute has been going through the courts since the beginning of July, when the lawsuit was filed with the Higher Regional Court. The background is the reallocation of the route, which took place in May 2023.

The dispute concerns the so-called Central sub-network, which includes the Hamburg-Kiel (RE 70) and Hamburg-Kiel/Flensburg/Tinglev (RE 7) connections. Trains travel around five million kilometers on these routes every year. DB Regio currently operates these connections. However, a first attempt at awarding the contract ended without satisfactory offers because the offers submitted were not economically viable for the state, as NDR explains. The reason for the high prices of the offers is still unclear, but the new award is being delayed.

Economic challenges

The public procurement chamber decided in mid-June that the state of Schleswig-Holstein could legally cancel the first procurement procedure. This led to DB Regio taking this decision to the Higher Regional Court. The Higher Regional Court is expected to hear the case in October. The situation is tense for all parties concerned, as the country is obliged to accept the offer with the best value for money.

But it's not just the awarding of the RE7 and RE70 routes that is problematic. The south-west network, which includes the Hamburg-Itzehoe/Heide and Hamburg-Wrist/Kellinghusen routes, also presents challenges. An economic offer was received here in May 2023, but the award of the contract can only be decided after the procedure for the route between Kiel and Hamburg has been completed. Around 2.1 million train kilometers come together on the routes of the South-West network every year.

The roadmap for the future

In conjunction with the new tender for the route between Kiel and Hamburg, a single transport company could be awarded the contract for both networks, which could lead to a more efficient and possibly cheaper solution. After the first failed attempt at awarding the contract, DB Regio appealed to the public procurement chamber to challenge the decision. However, Deutsche Bahn has not yet commented on the ongoing proceedings.

However, due to the planned time buffer in the tender, the state is not under any acute pressure to process the award hastily. The challenges in finding new operators and the repeated problems with train cancellations and delays make the topic particularly explosive and attract attention.

From December 2027, a new rail company will finally operate the lines for at least twelve years, which could also bring relief for frustrated passengers. It remains to be seen how the legal dispute will develop and what solutions can ultimately be found for passengers on the lines between Kiel and Hamburg.