Cantus, which first won the contract in 2006, is a joint venture between Hessen Landesbahn (HLB) and BeNEX, which is held by Hamburg Hochbahn and British-based investor International Public Partnerships. It currently operates a fleet of 21 Stadler Flirt EMUs on four lines:
• R1 Göttingen - Eichenberg - Kassel
• R5 Fulda - Bad Hersfeld - Bebra - Melsungen - Kassel
• R6 Eisenach - Gerstungen - Bebra
• R7 Göttingen - Eichenberg - Eschwege - Bebra - Fulda
The new contract will commence in December 2016.