"We are delighted that we have been able to recruit von Meißner for the position of ZV Managing Director. He brings a great deal of relevant experience and expertise to this role and we are convinced that he will continue to drive the project forward," said District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier. Other topics discussed during the meeting included the ZV itself, the current status of the project and the outlook for it.
Frank von Meißner was born in Bamberg in 1974 and is a qualified business graduate with a technical background. He is currently still working as a project manager, client representative for the new S-Bahn line and railroad operations manager at Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB) Stuttgart. He will take up his position as ZV Managing Director on October 1. The position is initially limited to five years. "I am very much looking forward to my new role as Managing Director of the Zweckverband Stadtbahn im Landkreis Ludwigsburg. The light rail project for the district of Ludwigsburg is important and attractive - and the financial funding conditions have never been better. I would like to use my many years of experience in the rail sector and put all my energy into getting the light rail system on track quickly and step by step," said von Meißner about his new role as Managing Director of the ZV Stadtbahn im Landkreis Ludwigsburg.
The ZV was founded on 16.01.21. The founding members are the district of Ludwigsburg, the large district town of Ludwigsburg, the town of Markgröningen, the municipality of Möglingen, the large district town of Remseck a. N. and the Pattonville special-purpose association. The municipality of Schwieberdingen has the option of joining the special-purpose association as soon as a positive decision has been made to connect to the ZV's rail service. The accession is being prepared and is expected by the end of 2021. The ZV has the task of planning and building the light rail system in the Ludwigsburg district. The ZV is primarily financed by infrastructure funding from the federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg, and covers its remaining financial requirements via an association levy, 50 percent of which is paid by the district, while the remaining 50 percent is borne by the municipal members of the association.
District Administrator Allgaier reported on the current status of the project: a lease solution with Deutsche Bahn (DB) for the Markgröningen - Ludwigsburg line had been reached through negotiations and a date had already been set for the negotiation of the lease agreement. The operating mode cost comparison for the Markgröningen - Ludwigsburg route is expected to be completed by the end of August. In addition, the contract to supervise the planning services has been awarded. The awarding of the planning services is planned for the second quarter of 2022 in the project sections for which a coordinated requirements plan is available in good time as the basis for the invitation to tender for the planning services. The potential analysis is expected to be available within the third quarter of 2021. Allgaier also provided an outlook: The kick-off meeting with the federal funding agency is targeted for fall 2021. There is also ongoing coordination with the state Ministry of Transport regarding the project. Important next steps include awarding the contract and preparing an updated standardized assessment. "We are making good progress with the light rail project," concluded District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier.
