As of: February 25, 2024, 8:03 a.m
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Should remain in the possession of the BRB even if the Oberland network is lost: the depot in Lenggries.
Another operator would probably have to find – or pay for – another location for maintenance and repairs.
© Arndt Pröhl
The tender for the railway lines in the Oberland is ongoing.
Now BRB managing director Arnulf Schuchmann is sending signals to probably the only competitors.
District - Although there is great hope of winning the tender for the railway lines in the Oberland from 2027, the Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) is already mentally playing through failure.
And that could make competitors sit up and take notice.
Because Plan B envisages keeping the depot in Lenggries and, ideally, also the railcar drivers in the company.
Competition probably only from the railway subsidiary DB Start
When asked about potential competitors, BRB managing director Arnulf Schuchmann sees DB Start as the only opponent.
It is a wholly owned railway subsidiary that was founded for the purpose of gaining regional railway routes.
This has already been achieved, sometimes with manageable success.
In Lower Saxony, for example, the Pro Bahn passenger association called for the contract with DB Start to be terminated last year, one and a half years after the start of operations.
Reason: “Devastating conditions in the network it manages.” It’s about the Lower Saxony-Central diesel network.
Due to a lack of staff, the trains are inadequately maintained and would therefore be canceled.
BRB managing director Arnulf Schuchmann © THOMAS PLETTENBERG
The winner of the tender would have to take over the 31 Lint vehicles that are traveling from Munich to Bayrischzell, Tegernsee and Lenggries today - and the BRB would have to give them away.
This apparently does not apply to the depot in Lenggries with its around 35 employees.
It belongs solely to BRB and its parent company Tansdev.
And in the event that another provider wins the tender, Schuchmann would bring more trains from the BRB Augsburg fleet to Lenggries for general inspection - 65 vehicles.
And train parts for maintenance (heating, toilets) could also be transported by truck from further afield to Lenggries.
Transdev has other networks in Germany.
Workshop in Lenggries as a trump card?
Which workshop would another Oberland operator use?
"I don't know that.
Maybe ours, but we would have enough to do even if we didn’t win,” says Schuchmann.
Sure: the railway also has workshops in the region.
But those in Munich are not designed for diesel vehicles, says Schuchmann.
The winner of the tender needs staff who live in the region
A new operator could also possibly have difficulties when it comes to personnel.
According to the tender, the new driver must take over the railcar drivers, but they are free to change.
Just as with the subject of the workshop, one can probably understand it as a threat when Schuchmann says: “We will see that we keep them with us.” The 70 railcar drivers will then be “happily given to DB Start at a reasonable price”.
The trick: A new operator would hardly be able to avoid the existing staff because they live in the region, close to the trains that all leave in the Oberland early in the morning.
Not a single railcar spends the night in Munich during the week.
However, the tender winner has two and a half years to prepare until the start of their own operations in December 2026 - and also to train their own staff on BRB Lint trains.
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Tenders also involve surprises and unanswered questions
This and countless other things are recorded in the tender by the Bavarian Railway Company (BEG), which is responsible for rail operations in the Free State and also finances it.
Since publication, the potential bidders have had a lot of detailed questions, which have resulted in eight so-called “bidder information sheets” that answer the questions and correct errors in the original documents.
The BRB was also surprised by a few details.
The future operator should present a so-called connection concept.
In short, it's about creating a smooth transition between long-distance and regional transport.
Now a long-distance train arrives at Munich main station every few minutes.
It is unclear which network Oberland operator should wait for in the event of a delay, especially since there are penalties for both delays and for not waiting, as Schuchmann says.
And there is also the tightness in Munich, which means that the BRB cannot simply decide for itself when it runs.
This is in the hands of the dispatcher.
If he sets a signal to green, the train has to move.
Everything doesn't fit together, says Schuchmann.
How expensive can additional qualities be?
And there's something else the BRB doesn't know: how the so-called additional qualities are weighted.
For example, anyone who creates good working conditions for their employees in order to retain them may also be a little more expensive for the BEG.
The BRB does not reveal how much.
However, these additional qualities certainly have the potential to play a decisive role in winning the contract.
Schuchmann had already emphasized in advance of the tender that rail traffic in the Oberland from 2027 will not be an easy undertaking (we reported).
In 2027, for example, there is a risk that the Rosenheim-Munich route will be completely closed, which could lead to a significant increase in traffic between Holzkirchen and Munich.
The BRB managing director wants to ensure that his company does not make any errors in the calculation that end up being really expensive.
“We know what we are doing because we have known our traffic forever.” Of course, the competitor has no influence on how they calculate – at most by talking about their own options for action.
The application deadline ends on April 1st.
The BEG does not know whether BRB and DB Start will face further competition, as it stated upon request.