Arriva to be fined for problems in Liberec region

Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Arriva, which secured a contract to operate four express rail lines in the Czech Republic, is to be fined for a series of problems in the Liberec region.

Arriva started operating at the start of December but its trains have been running late and the company also has problems with the check-in system.

The regional management says that unless everything is running smoothly by mid-January at the latest it will consider withdrawing from the contract.

The 45-million-euro contract covers four lines from Prague to the cities of Tanvald, Novy Bor, Rakovnik and Ceske Budejovice.

Under the contract Arriva will operate the lines for three years, with the option to extend the contract by a further two years.