“The offers submitted by the companies for the tendered high-quality operating concept were very close to each other, but in the end NWB had the best price-performance ratio,” says LNVG managing director Mrs Carmen Schwalb. The new contract begins in December 2022 and calls for the operation of around 6.25 million train-km annually on six routes: ⦁ RS 1 Bremen-Farge - Bremen Main Station - Verden/Aller ⦁ RS 2 Bremerhaven-Lehe - Bremen Main Station - Twistringen ⦁ RS 3 Wilhelmshaven - Oldenburg - Bremen Main Station ⦁ RS 4 Nordenham - Bremen Main Station ⦁ RS 3X Bad Zwischenahn - Oldenburg - Bremen Main Station, and ⦁ RB 76 Rotenburg/Wümme - Verden/Aller. Under the new contract, half-hourly services will be introduced on the Bremen - Bremerhaven and Bremen - Oldenburg routes. Line RS 3 and RS 4 services will provide a half-hourly all-stations stopping pattern between Bremen and Hude, while RS 3 services will be extended from Oldenburg to Wilhelmshaven in the peak. Modern EMUs will replace diesel trains on the Wilhelmshaven line when electrification is completed in 2022. Bad Zwischenahn will be served by the new limited-stop Line RS 3X services, which, together with two-hourly Regional Express and Intercity services, will provide a half-hourly fast service on the Bad Zwischenahn - Oldenburg - Bremen line. Line RS 2 will also benefit from additional services, with the introduction of half-hour frequencies at peak times. On Line RB 76, class 628 DMUs will be replaced by new electric trains from December 2022. NWB will procure 16 additional trains to operate the expanded timetable, increasing the Bremen S-Bahn fleet to 51 trains.