Denmark Ends Gocollective Operating Contract Amid High Delays And Cancellations: New Update

Published on September 24, 2025

Denmark ends GoCollective statement owed to precocious delays and cancellations, pinch DSB group to return complete operations. Electrification plans besides announced. Denmark’s Transport Minister, Thomas Danielsen, announced connected September 22 that nan statement of GoCollective, nan country’s largest backstage obstruction operator, has been terminated owed to its nonaccomplishment to reside important delays and cancellations. GoCollective, which operates rider services successful Jutland and Funen, has faced unacceptable work levels, pinch 1 statement experiencing up to 80% cancellations. As a result, Danish State Railways (DSB) will return complete nan operations, though circumstantial specifications regarding nan transition, including nan allocation of rolling stock, person yet to beryllium confirmed.

GoCollective’s Challenges

GoCollective, owned by nan German backstage equity patient Mutares, became nan largest backstage nationalist carrier usability successful Denmark aft acquiring nan Danish branch of Arriva from German Rail (DB) successful May 2023. Despite holding a important information of nan Danish obstruction network, GoCollective’s capacity has been progressively scrutinized. The institution operates respective cardinal lines, including nan Esbjerg-Niebüll, Aarhus-Struer, and Odense-Svendborg routes, covering 665 km and serving 117 stations, transporting astir 10 cardinal passengers annually. The company’s fleet includes 59 diesel aggregate units (DMUs), made up of Alstom Coradia Lint 41 and Siemens Desiro trains.

Despite these assets, GoCollective struggled to support reliable services, starring to governmental and nationalist pressure. In June 2024, Minister Danielsen issued a directive for nan institution to trim cancellations, but GoCollective grounded to meet expectations by nan extremity of past year, starring to nan statement termination.

Ministerial Decision and Transition Plan

Minister Danielsen confirmed that DSB, nan nationalist railway operator, would presume work for GoCollective’s services. While specifications connected nan modulation process stay unclear, nan authorities has emphasized that efforts will beryllium made to guarantee a soft handover, pinch minimal disruption to services. However, nan modulation will apt incur important costs, peculiarly if nan authorities needs to acquisition GoCollective’s rolling stock.

In response, GoCollective expressed disappointment but stated its volition to comply pinch nan decision. The institution acknowledged nan governmental awesome and mentioned ongoing discussions pinch nan Ministry of Transport astir nan challenges it faced successful delivering satisfactory service. GoCollective CEO Marianne Bøttger reiterated that while nan business was difficult, they would activity done nan process of transferring operations to DSB.

Electrification Plans for Struer-Vejle Line

Alongside nan statement termination, Minister Danielsen unveiled plans to electrify nan Struer-Vejle line, a 100km single-track route. This determination came contempt concerns from governmental parties progressive successful Denmark’s broader electrification and ERTMS initiatives, who based on that nan costs of electrifying nan statement mightiness not beryllium justified by nan comparatively debased rider numbers.

Nonetheless, nan authorities decided to allocate DKr 3bn ($474 million) for nan electrification project, prioritising nan preservation of nonstop services from this portion of Jutland to Copenhagen. The task will impact nan preamble of caller fleet services, including DSB’s IC5 EMUs, which will beryllium supplied by Alstom, pinch nan first units already delivered.

Impact and Future Outlook

The termination of GoCollective’s statement marks a important displacement successful Denmark’s obstruction sector, highlighting nan value of reliable services successful nationalist transport. While nan modulation to DSB whitethorn return immoderate time, it represents a move towards improved capacity and much dependable obstruction operations for nan Danish public. The government’s committedness to infrastructure, specified arsenic nan electrification of nan Struer-Vejle line, underscores its determination to modernise Denmark’s obstruction web and amended work quality.