Both were partners in a consortium that won a concession on 14 November 2002 against numerous competitors—including DB Regio—to operate a roughly 218 km long railway network in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate for a period of ten years.

The operating concession was signed on 10 January 2003 with the Zweckverband Schienenpersonennahverkehr Rheinland-Pfalz Nord ("purpose association for rail transport of Rhineland-Palatinate North", SPNV Nord) and Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (Rhine-Main Transport Association, RMV).

The SPNV Nord is also responsible for sections of line in southern North Rhine-Westphalia.

The operations centre in Limburg closed in mid-2015 and subsequently Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH was dissolved.

All railcars were taken over by Hessische Landesbahn and they are only maintained occasionally in the Limburg workshop since 2015.