National Express in running for Berlin rail contract If successful, the contract to operate the "Ringbahn" - which translates as the circle line - in Berlin would be the UK train and bus operator's third major rail franchise in Germany. Dean Finch, the chief executive of National Express, has made no secret of his plans to push into the German rail market, the biggest in Europe, after the UK's own franchising system faced delays in the wake of the West Coast Main Line scandal last year. The Ringbahn is part of Berlin's "S-Bahn," a network of over-land commuter trains, and is among the most unpopular in the German capital due to its old, shabby trains. It has even inspired a song, which mocks the poor service. The line, which carries 200,000 passengers a day, is currently operated by German's state-backed rail company Deutsche Bahn. Although the value of the contract is not disclosed, it is estimated at around €2 billion over 15 years. The winning bidder will also have to procure new trains and arrange financing for the rolling stock. National Express has been slowly pushing into Germany which, until recently, was relatively uncharted territory by UK train operators, although Deutsche Bahn has been benefiting from British commuters for years. In 2010, Deutsche Bahn bought UK bus and train operator Arriva. In December 2015, National Express will start operating two commuter rail lines in North Rhine-Westphalia, serving cities including Cologne and Bonn. The two contracts combined are worth €1.6bn over 15 years. Mr Finch said: "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Berlin Ringbahn. Following on from our recent success in winning two contracts to operate regional rail services in North-Rhine Westphalia, it confirms that our experience as the operator of the UK's leading franchise is recognised internationally. Our strong local team is already focused on putting together a high quality bid to deliver excellent services for customers and the people of Berlin. If successful, National Express, which had to fight to recover its reputation after it handed back the keys to the East Coat Main Line in 2009, is expected to treat the Ringbahn contact as a similar turnaround job to the London-to-Essex c2c route. The franchise was once mocked as Britain's "misery line."