The train arriving at gleis zwei is British … Germans will get a feel of the UK commuter experience as UK rail operator enters market

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

German rail users are to get a taste of the British commuting experience after National Express won the tender to run two rail routes in the country's most populous region.

National Express, which operates the London-to-Southend c2c route, has secured two contracts in the North Rhine-Westphalia region – Rheine-Münster-Cologne-Krefeld and Bonn-Cologne-Wuppertal.

It is a symbolic moment for the British rail sector, because European markets are typically closed to external operators and largely the domain of state companies such as the powerful Deutsche Bahn. This has in turn allowed the likes of DB to enter the UK market, with DB acquiring Arriva – the owner of the Arriva Train Wales and CrossCountry franchises.

The National Express contracts, worth a combined €1.6bn (£1.4bn), are the first "competitive" entry into the German market by a UK player. Prior to being bought by DB, Arriva had acquired a small German rail contract.

Combined, the two Cologne contracts cover a slightly smaller distance than c2c and about half the number of passengers, at 18 million a year.

Dean Finch, National Express chief executive, said: "National Express is delighted to have been selected to run these two German commuter rail contracts. I'm particularly pleased that our success in running the UK's best performing franchise has been recognised by the German authorities. We look forward to maintaining these high standards and serving the people of North Rhine-Westphalia for many years to come."