Transport Minister Ján Počiatek (source: TASR)
“We hope to improve the quality of this service and increase the number of passengers,” Transport Minister Ján Počiatek said, as quoted by the Sme daily.
The transparent tender to liberalise passenger transport should stipulate the price for which the Slovak state will subsidise the operator of fast trains between the two cities, the SITA newswire wrote. The winner should operate at least eight train units with the capacity of 530 seats each, on the route Bratislava – Šurany – Zvolen – Banská Bystrica.
However, the estimated price for rendering this service is not stipulated in the tender announced in the Official Bulletin of the European Union. It is only stated that it exceeds the limit – meaning it is worth more than €10 million. The price is expected to stem from the tender, Transport Ministry spokesman Martin Kóňa told Sme. The price should be decisive in selecting the new train operator, the daily wrote, as the state could save millions of euros in subsidies compared to the current situation.
The ministry opted for a less transparent inside tender, instead of a public one, arguing that the liberalisation process in Slovakia has never been as transparent as now, SITA wrote.
Currently, only two train units operate directly between Bratislava and Banská Bystrica, with other passengers having to change trains in Zvolen.
The only private train operator subsidised by the state for now is RegioJet, operating trains between Bratislava and Komárno, according to Sme.
