DB Regio, the incumbent operator, submitted the best economic bid. The contract, which runs from December 2016 to December 2020, includes an option for a one-year extension as well as cancellation options.

The Euregiobahn concession covers about 1.5 million train-km and comprises services radiating from Aachen to Stolberg, Stolberg-Altstadt, and Düren; to Herzogenrath and Alsdorf; and a cross-border service to Heerlen, the Netherlands.

DB and its Dutch subsidiary Arriva Nederland will introduce an express service from Aachen via Heerlen to Maastricht in 2018 when electrification has been completed between Herzogenrath and Landgraaf. Work to upgrade of the Dutch section between Landgraaf and the German border started this week. The service will be operated by Flirt 3 multi-voltage EMUs to be ordered from Stadler.