National Express said its rail business had won a €1bn contract to operate two more rail lines in Germany until 2033.
The transport group initially took over operations of the RE1 and RE11 Rhein-Ruhr-Express (RXX) last February on an emergency contract but this had been made permanent after “successfully mobilising in a short timeframe,” said the statement.
National Express now operates all three light RXX lots under long-term contracts.
The train operator said the new contracts would allow it to unlock operational synergies and cement its position in the region.
"To have secured this contract on the back of an emergency contract award is a testament to our operational excellence and the strength of our proposition in Germany,” said chief executive Ignacio Garat.
“It is also clear evidence of our Evolve strategy in action, and we look forward to making further progress in realising similar asset-light opportunities across the company."
National Express is now the second-largest rail transport company in the German region and will run an expected 20mln train kilometres in 2023.