National Express has won a contract to operate the S-Bahn in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg from 2018 to 2030 – snapping up a bit of track on Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) turf. In the UK, the transport group runs trains and the main scheduled coach service.

“National Express is delighted to have won another rail contract in Germany, confirming this market as an exciting growth opportunity for the group,” the company’s chief executive Dean Finch said.

National Express is also to take over regional rail services in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, as of December 2015.

While German national rail operator DB already runs railway services in Britain, and in 2010 took over Arriva, one of the UK’s biggest rail firms, British train operators have until now not managed to make similar inroads in Germany.

Hoping for high-quality service

The loss of the Nuremberg S-Bahn comes as a blow to Deutsche Bahn, which operates almost all of Germany’s S-Bahn commuter service trains.

“The Nuremberg city train network is regarded as one of Germany’s best, and is known for its punctuality,” Franz Lindemair, spokesman for DB Regio Bavaria, said in a statement, adding that DB regrets the contract went to a British company.

“Deutsche Bahn fights for every train in Bavaria, and quite successfully so far,” he said. Germany’s rail operator will now analyze the bidding situation, he added.

Beginning in December 2018, National Express is set to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn network’s five rail lines that currently transport 20 million passengers every year. The British company is expected to introduce new electric five-car trains and security personnel to patrol the trains after 9 p.m.