ABELLIO Rail, NorthWestBahn (NWB) and DB Regio have won three tenders to operate train services in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia.

TRANSDEV Germany subsidiary NOB has been forced to to withdraw its entire fleet of Bombardier push-pull coaches, which are used on Hamburg - Westerland (Sylt) regional services following the discovery of coupling defects.

GERMAN Rail (DB) has developed a concept to provide all passengers on DB Regio services with internet access via a wireless local area network (WLAN), as a solution to the lack of network coverage provided by mobile operators.

ALSTOM confirmed on October 27 that it has received a €130m order from DB Regio for 24 Coradia Continental EMUs, which will be used on the Breisgau S-Bahn network in southwest Germany.

BRITISH rail and bus operator National Express has decided to withdraw from a concession to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn, which it was awarded by Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) 20 months ago, because it claims a protracted legal challenge by German Rail (DB) has damaged the economic viability of the deal.

GERMAN Rail (DB) has confirmed to IRJ that it has placed an order with Bombardier for a further eight class 245 Traxx ME multi-engine diesel-electric locomotives, supplementing the fleet of 27 units already in service.

DB Regio will take over operation of the Hamburg - Stade - Cuxhaven regional route from Metronom in December 2018 following a tender organised by Lower Saxony transport authority LNVG. DB won the contract by offering a lower price than Metronom.

THE German state of Baden-Württemberg and Freiburg Regional Transport (ZRF) have awarded DB Regio a 12.5 year contract to operate the Breisgau East - West regional network from December 2019.

GERMAN Rail (DB) announced on August 10 that its subsidiary DB Regio has lodged an appeal at the regional high court in Munich against a ruling by Bavaria’s public procurement authority which upheld the decision by Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) to award two contracts for the operation of the Nuremberg S-Bahn network to National Express.

DB Regio has won a three-year contract tendered by Bavarian railway authority BEG to operate services on non-electrified routes south and east of Ulm from this December until the end of 2019, with an option to extend the contract by a year.