Veolia Verkehr, a subsidiary of Veolia-Transdev, has signed an agreement to undertake contract operations for the new inter-city competitor Hamburg-Cologne Express in Germany.
HKX is planning to launch services between Hamburg and Cologne three times daily once it has been approved by authorities.
The journey time would be similar to that of existing IC or ICE services operated by DB, but the intention is to charge lower fares to passengers.
The contract means Veolia will provide drivers for HKX, along with locomotives and maintenance services.
Veolia said it initially plans to use a fleet of four Siemens ES64U2 locomotives with six cars.
“With Veolia Transport, we have gained a strong partner with extensive of its experience in rail passenger transport, we will certainly benefit,” says Carsten Carstensen, responsible for the business manager of the Hamburg Cologne-Express Inc.
