At the end of 2016, the Niederrheinnetz (NRN) connected Düsseldorf to Emmerich; this will be extended onwards to Arnhem in Spring 2017. Twenty-one Flirt 3 trains are being built for this service, including seven three-system trains. The Flirt 3 trains need to able to cope with three different power systems (1500V, 15kV and 25kV) and three train safety systems (ATB, ETCS and PZB) for the 17 kilometres that the route covers in the Netherlands. A new workshop is being built in Duisburg for this purpose.
Abellio NRW put in a successful bid for S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr in July 2016, and was awarded the largest lot in the franchise. At the end of 2016, Abellio NRW delivered a second successful bid when Abellio was awarded the Ruhr-Sieg-Netz (RSN2) franchise, which it will operate until 2034. RSN2 has already been operated by us for the past 12 years, making this the first time our company had to defend a franchise. This means we will operate the network for 30 years, combining the 18 years ahead of us and the 12 years already completed. 

Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland

Abellio is expanding its presence in central Germany, since Abellio trains will not only run in the STS electric network, but also in the Sachsen-Anhalt diesel network (DISA) from 2018. Thousands of passengers will then be able to travel with us in Harz and Börde, as well as between the major cities of Erfurt, Magdeburg, Potsdam and Berlin. The Saale-Thüringen-Südharz electric network and the Sachsen-Anhalt diesel network are the largest networks to have ever been awarded to a regional rail transportation company in Germany. DISA will start operation in 2018 and run until 2032, and will connect Berlin to Sachsen-Anhalt.
2016 was the first full year of operation for Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland through its operation of the Saale-Thüringen-Südharz network (STS). The large number of construction sites in the network placed a strain on punctuality.

The franchises in the mobilisation phase are:

The franchises that are currently being operated are: