Transdev Germany is the largest private operator of passenger buses and trains in Germany. It is a subsidiary of Transdev.
 | |
| Formerly | Veolia Verkehr Connex Verkehr Aktiengesellschaft für Industrie und Verkehrswesen |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Headquarters |
,
Germany
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| Owner | Transdev |
| Subsidiaries | Bayerische Oberlandbahn NordWestBahn (64%) RheinRuhrBahn Transdev Sachsen-Anhalt Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft |
| Website | www.transdev.de |
In 1997, Aktiengesellschaft für Industrie und Verkehrswesen was purchased by a CGEA Group (60%) EnBW (40%) consortium. In 2000, CGEA bought EnBW's shares and rebranded the operation Connex Verkehr.[1] in April 2006 it was rebranded as Veolia Verkehr, and following the merger of Transdev and Veolia Transport as Transdev in March 2015.[2]
Transdev, as was the case with Veolia and Connex, operates dozens of subsidiaries, each with their own name. Most of them operate small, regional train and bus services.
Transdev subsidiaries operate the following services:
Transdev’s German operations have been structured into four regions since April 2005.
Region North includes the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein and a short line in Denmark. In this region, the Niebüller Verkehrsbetriebe (NVB) and the Nord-Ostsee-Bahn (NOB) operate:
It is planned to extend these trains from Hamburg on to Berlin and Cologne under the operation of "Ostseeland Verkehrs GmbH" (OLA), which runs all Veolia long-distance trains in Germany. Unlike the trains between Sylt and Hamburg, the trains from Hamburg to Berlin and Cologne are not subsidised by any State of Germany
(Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia)
(Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland)
(Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria)
In addition to the above operations, Transdev also operates buses that were formerly part of the old Transdev.
From 2001 to 2014, Transdev (known at the time as Veolia) ran a number of long distance trains:
The Interconnex ran between Leipzig and Berlin, up to three times each way, Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, the train ran from Leipzig to Rostock via Berlin and back on Sunday. The locomotives and carriages were provided by the Nord-Ostsee-Bahn. It commenced on 1 March 2002 as the first open access operator in Germany.[8]
Previously, the service was run all the way between Rostock - Berlin - Leipzig - Gera using Bombardier Talent diesel multiple units. This service commenced in December 2001 under the flag of Ostseeland Verkeher Since those trains were constructed for regional use, longer journeys were quite unpleasant. Only later were they fitted with more comfortable long distance seats. From the beginning on they had a BoardBistro. This train was conceptualized as a compensation for the cancelled Deutsche Bahn trains between Rostock and Leipzig. The trains offered three classes: Traveler, Economy and Business. Each of them with a different kind of service. These classes disappeared in May 2006, when the train service was shortened to Leipzig - Berlin.
There was a period of transition for this service between May and December 2006. During this period, a shuttle train ran between Gera and Leipzig consisting of a Siemens Desiro diesel multiple unit. In this period, the train service already ran twice a day only between Leipzig and Berlin, stopping at Berlin Potsdamer Platz (and some trains also at Bitterfeld). On Saturdays the train went all the way to Warnemünde via Neustrelitz, Waren and Rostock, making the return trip on Sundays. On Sundays it drove back from Warnemünde to Berlin and further to Leipzig. This service ceased on 13 December 2014.[9][10][11]
Since December 2005, Veolia subcontractor HarzElbeExpress (HEX) has been operating the Harz-Berlin-Express from Berlin via the lines to Magdeburg and Halberstadt to Thale in the Harz on weekends. This route was previously operated by Deutsche Bahn.
Interconnex 2, which was officially called the Ostseeland Express (OLX) since December 2005, ran between Stralsund, Berlin and Dresden. It came into operation in December 2004, starting at first at Zittau and then running via BerlintoStralsund, with a summer extension to Rügen. In the summer of 2004, it was even extended at the Zittau side all the way to Liberec in the Czech Republic. Shuttle buses operated from Dresden and Usedom. However, at the timetable modification of December 2004, the route was changed to a shorter stretch. It was abandoned in late 2006.
A third line between Rostock and Cologne ran between 6 June and 27 October 2003.[12][13]
In January 2002, Connex Cargo Logistics commenced operating freight services.[14] In 2009 it was sold to SNCF.[15]