European Railroad Discussion > HKX to cease trading?

Rumours on British websites that German open access passenger operator HKX - Hamburg-Koln Express - who run passenger trains in competition with DB and are part onwed by Henry Posner's RDC is throwing in the towel.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rumours on British websites that German open
> access passenger operator HKX - Hamburg-Koln
> Express - who run passenger trains in competition
> with DB and are part onwed by Henry Posner's RDC
> is throwing in the towel.


I can't say for certain, but I don't believe that is entirely accurate. A few months ago HKX announced that they would be repositioning themselves as an operator of local transport, which in the German context suggests that they would be going after publicly tendered operating contracts rather than continuing as an open access operator. This would also mean that the cheaper local transport fares offered by the tariff federations would in the future be valid on their trains. As an aside, just a couple of days ago it was announced that the first consist of ex-ÖBB stock had finally been certified by the Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahnbundesamt) and, according to HKX, should be entering service toward the end of the year.

Then, one day later, an article appeared in the Handelsblatt (a national publication covering business matters) that stated that Germany's two open access operations (HKX and Interconnex) are giving up open access operations: http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/handel-dienstleister/interconnex-und-hkx-privatbahnen-kapitulieren-vor-billig-fernbussen/10732548.html

The article, however, is very poorly written and only mentions HKX in the title and once in passing in the body. It does seem that Interconnex is on its last legs, and my guess is that this information was conflated by the press with HKX's earlier announcement of its repositioning, with the result being the aforementioned article. I would further venture to say that the article (or the posts about it on German railfan sites) was then misinterpreted on British forums. I would be very surprised if HKX were to cease operations just as their intended rolling stock is coming on-line, though I do not doubt that the face of HKX will change in the future.

Thanks for the clarification.