The main goal of the project is to provide capacity for a direct regional service linking Aachen in Germany with Heerlen and Maastricht in the Netherlands and Liège in Belgium, which would replace three separate existing services. Preparations are now underway for the introduction of the tri-national service, which is scheduled to begin operating in 2018. The route will be operated by Arriva as part of the new Limburg regional concession.

Feasibility studies are also underway to establish the viability of a longer-term proposal for a new inter-city service from Aachen to Eindhoven.

Southern Limburg is part of the so-called Euregio international region, which also includes parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.