German train traffic: allegations of espionage against Russian companies

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If you look around on the GoAhead website, you are in the middle of a Bavarian idyll: a blue train rolls through lush green meadows, the mountains can be seen in the background.

“A piece of home on the rails,” it says there.

But the term home is apparently understood as European here, because from December this year there will be a very international cooperation on the Allgäu Railway from Munich via Memmingen to Lindau: The British railway company GoAhead will organize the operation there, and trains of this type will be used “Flirt” from the Swiss manufacturer Stadler, which in turn will be serviced by the Russian concern Transmash Holding (TMH).

The German market is particularly lucrative

According to information from WELT, a dispute has broken out between train builder Stadler and operator GoAhead precisely about this cooperation.

The Swiss fear industrial espionage by the Russian competitor TMH - in the middle of the tranquil Allgäu.

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It is a story in which Russian oligarchs encounter German railway tenders and which is not only about the possible loss of trade secrets, but above all about the lucrative German market for regional trains.

TMH is currently building a depot in Langweid near Augsburg in order to be able to service the trains of the competition there.

Maintenance is a profitable business that most manufacturers prefer to sell as a package with their vehicles.

It is annoying for Stadler that another company has been awarded the contract at all.

But the fact that it is also a direct competitor with the Russians makes things spicy.

"We view the constellation in Langweid with concern," confirms a Stadler spokesman.

Technical know-how is the company's greatest asset.

"We now have to fear that, contrary to our contractual agreements, it will fall into the hands of competitors," said the spokesman.

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"We are particularly critical of the fact that these are Russian competitors who are pushing their way into the European market and thus gain access to protected technology that is subject to trade secrets." We are therefore currently in talks with GoAhead.

The British operator of the route contradicts the fear, but is tight-lipped.

“We don't see it that way,” says a spokesman.

In addition, they do not want to comment on the matter, after all, they are currently having talks.

Negotiations are currently under way with GoAhead's second train supplier: Siemens Mobility.

From a purely legal point of view, the matter is clear

56 regional multiple units have been ordered from the German group, which will then be used in the Augsburg network and which will also be serviced by the Russians.

At Siemens, people are still reluctant.

“We are familiar with the subject of maintenance, and we are in negotiations with the customer GoAhead,” says a spokeswoman.

"Due to the ongoing negotiations, we do not want to comment on this subject at the moment."

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Legally, the matter is clear: The Bavarian Railway Company (BEG), which advertised the route through the Allgäu, awarded the contract to GoAhead without any conditions for maintenance.

"The BEG does not specify any maintenance requirements when it is awarded, this is the responsibility of the respective transport company," said a spokesman.

Of course, the contracts stipulate that no sensitive information about the trains may be disclosed.

But how is it supposed to work: maintenance without knowing the technical details of the trains?

“There is tough competition when it comes to awarding the operation of regional rail routes and networks.

And the decisive factor for winning the bid is the price, ”says Maria Leenen, managing director of the railway consulting company SCI.

It is therefore quite possible that railway companies order the trains from one manufacturer, but entrust the maintenance to another, if that is cheaper.

"And of course the company that is supposed to maintain the railways will then get a comprehensive insight into the technical details of these vehicles," says Leenen.

"That could be worthwhile for Transmash, after all, Stadler is technically and qualitatively in the top league of manufacturers."

At TMH they emphasize that it is a completely normal process when other companies take over the maintenance.

"TMH International was able to assert itself due to its competitive offer and its many years of experience in the field of maintenance and repair," said a spokeswoman.

TMH rejects all allegations

For maintenance, the manufacturer of the trains must provide the operator with the associated maintenance manuals.

“This is common practice in the rail industry, and we would like to emphasize that these documents do not contain any technical drawings or the like that would allow the train to be redesigned and built,” says the spokeswoman.

"TMH Germany will provide the maintenance services strictly according to the manuals under an existing confidentiality agreement." Stadler is not convinced.

The German rail market is particularly competitive internationally because it is less regulated than the regional networks in other countries.

This attracts railway companies from many countries: Dutch, French, Italian, British.

GoAhead is particularly expansive; the British want to become one of the major transport providers in Europe.

The Russian rail giant TMH also wants to get involved - not only as a maintenance company, but also as a train supplier.

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The decision to outsource the maintenance of the Stadler and Siemens trains to a direct competitor is correspondingly explosive.

TMH is one of the world's largest railway manufacturers, but technically the Russians are lagging behind manufacturers from Germany, France, Japan, Switzerland and, in the meantime, the Chinese as well.

With a maintenance contract from Stadler trains, the Russians could now study the technology of the vehicles in peace.

European and Japanese manufacturers have seen this before: in China.

They made excellent earnings because they were able to sell their trains in joint ventures in the People's Republic, now the Chinese are building the high-speed trains themselves - with the same quality.

"We are a maintenance company based in Germany with a long-term business perspective," claims the spokeswoman for the German TMH subsidiary.

"We work closely with the local community of Langweid, where TMH Germany is investing over 40 million euros in the construction of one of the most modern maintenance depots in Germany, relying on the local supply chain."

But TMH cannot speak of a German company.

In addition to the Russian state railway, the oligarch Iskander Machmudow is one of the main owners of the group, his fortune is estimated according to "Forbes" at 11.6 billion dollars.

TMH is headed by another Russian billionaire: Andrei Bokarew.

Both men have long appeared in doubles and have invested in numerous companies, including the co-owners of the Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov.

There is also a human component

For Stadler, the maintenance deal is not only problematic because of the Russians: The French rail technology manufacturer Alstom also holds 25 percent of TMH - a long-standing competitor of Stadler.

What TMH is good for is also good for Alstom.

And then there is still a human component: The head of TMH International is Hans Schabert, former CEO of Siemens Mobility and the railroad builder Vossloh - a long-time opponent of Stadler. The aversion between Stadler patriarch Peter Spuhler and Schabert is legendary in the industry. Now there is a new chapter in the history of this intimate enmity.