Liberal Alliance has withdrawn its threat to veto the planned transfer of GoCollective's train operations to state-owned DSB. The party reached an agreement with Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen after emergency talks.
Party transport spokesperson Jens Meilvang said he got what he wanted from the negotiations. The minister promised that GoCollective's routes in Central and Western Jutland and Funen will be put out to tender as soon as possible.
Meilvang stated, "It's important for me that train service continues, so I can accept DSB taking over for a short period. But the intention is to put it out to tender again quickly."
He added, "I received that promise today, which I hadn't gotten before."
The political conflict began in September when the transport minister announced negotiations to terminate GoCollective's contract. He planned to transfer operations to DSB instead.
Liberal Alliance objected to this plan on Wednesday, threatening to use its special veto power over changes to existing political agreements. The party argued giving GoCollective's routes to DSB would be too expensive and preferred competitive bidding.
The compromise solution allows DSB to temporarily take over operations to prevent service disruptions in Central and Western Jutland. However, the routes must be put out to tender within approximately two years.
Meilvang said he can live with this timeline.
The transport minister called Liberal Alliance's veto threat both "surprising" and "disappointing" on Wednesday. He argued there were no alternatives to transferring operations to DSB temporarily.
Danielsen explained, "Until it can be retendered, it makes sense that the company we own is asked to take over the operation until we find a new way to tender this."
GoCollective, formerly known as Arriva until 2023, serves about 25 percent of Denmark's railway network. The company operates routes in Central and Western Jutland and between Odense and Svendborg.
The train operator currently holds contracts until 2028 for several Jutland routes through a previous tender process. The Transport Ministry is now negotiating with GoCollective about terminating that contract early.
In September, the transport minister expressed complete loss of confidence in GoCollective's ability to improve its service quality. The company employs over 2,000 people and has been part of Denmark's public transport system since 1997.
This political compromise reflects the practical challenges of balancing competition with service continuity in Denmark's railway system. The temporary state takeover acknowledges that immediate service disruptions would be unacceptable to passengers, even while pursuing longer-term competitive tendering.