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.