The Bavarian railway authority Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft (BEG) and the Czech Ministry of Transport have launched a second tender for the contract to operate rail services on the Munich–Regensburg–Prague route.
The tender is for the operation of the RE/Ex 36 regional line between December 2031 and December 2046, after the first procedure was canceled in the fall of 2024 due to a lack of economically viable bids.
The new procedure is organised as a negotiation process with a preliminary selection stage at European level, and the authorities in Bavaria and the Czech Republic hope that the adjustments made to the award conditions will attract more bidders for this cross-border rail link.
A European main line of strategic importance
“The rail link between the two major European centers of Prague and Munich is extremely important for both Bavaria and the Czech Republic. This is a significant European mainline, and the high complexity of the project requires sufficient preparation time,” said Christian Bernreiter, Bavarian Minister of Transport and Chairman of the BEG Supervisory Board.
The contract put out to tender covers approximately 2.8 million train kilometers per year, of which 1.8 million are in Bavaria. The transport offer will remain broadly similar to the current one, with trains running every two hours, but a new late evening service from Prague to Munich will be introduced, departing from the Czech capital at around 7:45 p.m.
Additional trains during peak hours on the Regensburg – Munich and Regensburg – Hof (RE 23) routes will be included in other rail service contracts.
Revised requirements to reduce costs
According to Bärbel Fuchs, CEO of BEG, the authorities have drawn important conclusions from the failure of the first tender. “We have simplified the requirements and introduced conditions designed to limit costs for bidders. In the future, fewer locomotives, fewer maneuvers, and, implicitly, fewer staff will be needed,” she explained.
Reducing the number of maneuvers will not only help lower operating costs, but also relieve congestion at the busy central stations in Munich and Regensburg. At the same time, BEG has maintained the requirement for new rolling stock to ensure an adequate level of comfort on an important international rail route.
Currently, the operator providing regional services on the Bavarian section of the Munich-Prague route uses passenger cars from the 1980s. For the transition period December 2028-December 2031, separate contracts will be concluded in both countries. The tender for the Bavarian part of these interim contracts has been running since September 2025.
Fewer locomotive changes with the help of hybrid locomotives
Operating trains between Munich and Prague is particularly complex due to the alternation between electrified and non-electrified sections and the existence of three different power supply systems along the route.
Although full electrification is not expected until the second half of the contract period, the new requirements stipulate a significant reduction in locomotive changes.
Currently, trains change locomotives three times: in Regensburg, Schwandorf, and Plzeň. Under the new contract, trains would run without changing locomotives between Munich and Plzeň, thanks to the use of hybrid locomotives.
A single locomotive change will still be necessary in Plzeň due to differences between the power supply systems in Germany and the Czech Republic.
More seats and increased comfort for passengers
The authorities are ordering trains with a minimum of 500 seats per train to meet increased demand, particularly on the Regensburg–Plzeň route. The vehicles will be new, air-conditioned, and equipped with Wi-Fi, while the use of second-hand locomotives will be permitted.
With this new award procedure, Bavaria and the Czech Republic are seeking to unblock an important cross-border rail project with a direct impact on regional and international mobility between southern Germany and Central Europe.
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