National Express has signed the contracts to take over the operation of two regional rail services in Germany from Deutsche Bahn.
From December 2015, National Express will begin a 15-year contract operating trains between the cities of Cologne and Bonn in the North Rhine-Westphalia region.
The services, currently run by Deutsche Bahn, carry around 18 million passengers per year and will generate revenues of around €1.6 billion over the life of the contract.
Dean Finch, group chief executive, said: “As well as confirming our entry into the German rail market, they also demonstrate how our success in running the UK’s best performing rail franchise is opening up new market opportunities abroad.
“We are determined to maintain these standards and deliver services of the highest quality to all of our customers in North Rhine-Westphalia.”
National Express has ordered 35 new Talent 2 EMUs from Bombardier to operate on the German commuter services.
The order has been valued at 170 million euro, with the trains to be built in three and five-car configurations.
