Cottbus/Bregenz, 11th of March 2022 – For the first time, Deutsche Bahn (DB) is using a completely new contract model for a major project. The new ICE maintenance plant in Cottbus is being built until 2026 according to the innovative "Partnership Model Rail". The Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group is also involved. Together with its partners, the Austrian-Swiss rail technology specialist is responsible for the traffic facilities, civil engineering, the railway infrastructure as well as the medium-voltage power supply.
The aim is to ensure that a jointly agreed deadline and cost framework is met by bringing all parties much closer together and involving them much earlier than usual. The corresponding contracts have now been signed in the presence of Brandenburg's Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Steinbach, DB's Group Representative for Brandenburg, Alexander Kaczmarek, as well as the businesses involved. Appropriately, the signing took place in a new co-working space in the existing Cottbus plant, which will be shared by all of the contractual partners. This modern office is the first outward sign of a new culture of project management.
The new contract model serves as a model for the successful implementation of large-scale projects. Based on it, planning and construction companies are involved in the project at a very early stage. They will plan and agree on the individual construction phases and costs together. The contract model was developed by DB together with the construction industry and engineering associations. It incorporated international experience, particularly from Scandinavia.
A new maintenance facility for ICE trains of the DB AG is under construction in Cottbus. The investment for this amounts to about one billion Euros and will create around 1.200 new industrial jobs. The first trains are expected to be serviced here as early as 2024. The required EU-wide award procedure was completed for five different award packages in November 2021. In addition to the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, the contract partners are Arcadis Germany GmbH, LOGSOL GmbH as well as Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG. Scientific support for the contract design and implementation is provided by the Technical University of Berlin.
Prof. Dr Jörg Steinbach, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of the State of Brandenburg: "The DB plant in Cottbus is of great importance for structural change in Lausitz. It is a lighthouse project that will create 1.200 additional industrial jobs and is also another example of how quickly approval procedures can be handled in the state of Brandenburg. Planning began at the beginning of 2021 and operation is scheduled to start as early as 2024 - two years earlier than originally planned. The German Federal Railway Authority (EBA) as the licensing authority contributed to this by approving this project very quickly. The alliance model will also contribute to this, as it forms a solid basis for the successful implementation of an innovative planning procedure. It is important that the local economy is now appropriately involved in the implementation of the project."
Alexander Kaczmarek, Deutsche Bahn's Group Representative for Brandenburg: "The New Cottbus Plant is the first Deutsche Bahn construction project to use a multi-party contract for integrated project management and follows the rail partnership model of the TU Berlin. The construction companies are already bound in the planning phase in order to start the planning and later construction phases together. The goal is to stay on time and within budget, to work cooperatively and to make the project a success. A great contribution to Strong Rail and a real transport turnaround in Germany."
Konrad Schnyder, President Owner Board of the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group: "The approach of the 'Partnership Model Rail' suits our competences as a full-service provider for all services around rail. We can therefore fully support the holistic approach. This allows us to make optimal use of synergies as well as to reduce sources of error and friction losses to a minimum."
Martin Ritterbach, Managing Director Arcadis Germany GmbH: "We are delighted to be one of the central partners in a lighthouse project of this scale and to be able to profitably contribute our expertise to the alliance. With digital planning and control tools, we will implement innovative and sustainable solutions on a partnership basis.”
Dipl.-Ing. Uwe Wenzel, Managing Director of LOGSOL GmbH: "We are extremely proud to be able to support the project idea of cooperative collaboration with our profile. With positive expectations, highly motivated specialists and over 20 years of logistical know-how, we are looking forward to the successful implementation of this exciting large-scale project in the Partnership Model Rail."
Thomas Paetzold, Member of the Executive Board of Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG: "As the implementing construction company, we are looking forward to working with all those involved in the Partnership Model Rail. With its cooperative and transparent concept, the innovative pilot project sets new standards in the planning and implementation of complex construction projects". The New Cottbus Plant:
The Cottbus plant of DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung has existed for almost 150 years and presently has a workforce of 420 employees. Starting in 2022, the site will be expanded and modernised to the latest state-of-the-art technology. After the expansion of the site, an additional 1.200 jobs will be created and young people from the region will be given career prospects with 100 apprenticeships offered. On the site of the existing maintenance plant, two halls will be built: A large four-track hall (500 metres long, 260 metres wide) for heavy ICE maintenance until 2026 as well as a smaller two-track hall (435 m long, 25 m wide) until 2024. The trains of the rapidly growing ICE fleet will be maintained and repaired here.
Construction work will start as early as 2022. The preliminary construction measures have already been underway since 2021 and have provided the necessary building clearance for the first hall. Archaeological finds were secured, the areas were probed for old explosive ordnance, contaminated sites were demolished and removed and even lizards were relocated. The planning and implementation of the facility in such a short period of time represent an enormous challenge. For more information on the new Cottbus plant and the construction work, visit www.db-neues-werk-cottbus.com.
