The contract covers six routes:

  • RE 1: Hamm – Essen – Cologne – Aachen
  • RE 4: Dortmund – Hagen – Mönchengladbach – Aachen
  • RE 5: Koblenz – Cologne – Düsseldorf – Wesel
  • RE 6: Cologne Airport – Cologne – Essen – Hamm – Minden
  • RE 11: Kassel – Hamm – Dortmund – Essen – Düsseldorf, and
  • RB 33: Wesel – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Krefeld – Mönchengladbach.

The five Regional Express routes will be included in the new 15-year RRX concession, which is currently being tendered and is due to start in December 2018, when a new fleet of 85 trains will enter service. However, VRR says some improvements to the timetable will be implemented under the interim contract.

Meanwhile Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Authority (VBB) has awarded DB Regio a contract to operate the Berlin Spandau – Neuruppin – Wittenberge (RE 6) and Henningsdorf – Kremmen (RB 55) lines for 12 years from December 2016. The services will be operated using modernised Alstom class 648 DMUs.