GERMAN Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Regio is to take on the operation of the Mid-German S-Bahn Network Lot 2 concession after the winning bidder Abellio decided to withdraw from the contract with the states of Saxony Anhalt and Brandenburg and Leipzig area transport authority ZVNL.

ABELLIO Rail NRW signed a contract with Stadler Pankow on June 12 for a fleet of 20 five-car Flirt emus, which will be used on the Dutch-German Lower Rhine Network from December 2016.

RHINE-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR) announced on March 22 that it has selected Abellio Rail NRW as its preferred bidder for the concession to operate the Lower Rhine Network regional concession for 12 years from December 2016.

ABELLIO Rail NRW, the Abellio subsidiary operating in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, has invited bids for a contract to supply between 18 and 42 dmus for regional services.

RHINE-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR), as lead contractor for two other transport authorities, has awarded two 15-year regional concessions in North Rhine Westphalia to a consortium of National Express Rail and IntEgro Transport.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) subsidiary Abellio Rail has awarded Bombardier a €172m contract to supply 35 class 442 Talent 2 emus for use on Germany's Saale-Thuringia-South Harz network.

ABELLIO Rail NRW, a subsidiary of Netherlands Railways (NS), has won a major 15-year contract to operate regional services in eastern Germany.