Skip to main content

EIB agrees funding for new East Anglia trains

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide US$76 million (£60 million) for the purchase of new trains that will improve passenger services in East Anglia on key London, intercity, airport and local services in the UK. The 378 new train carriages will be used by franchise operator Abellio and replace outdated existing electric and diesel trains currently used on the routes. The EIB loan is guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) under the Investment Plan for Europe, and
October 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

The 4270 European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide US$76 million (£60 million) for the purchase of new trains that will improve passenger services in East Anglia on key London, intercity, airport and local services in the UK.

The 378 new train carriages will be used by franchise operator Abellio and replace outdated existing electric and diesel trains currently used on the routes. The EIB loan is guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) under the Investment Plan for Europe, and this is the first EFSI transport loan in the United Kingdom.

The 28 year European Investment Bank loan will finance purchase of new rolling stock by Rock Rail East Anglia PLC for use by Abellio East Anglia Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutch national rail company Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

Funding of these new trains was led by Rock Rail and SL Capital with additional co-investment equity being provided by GLIL, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund and London Pensions Fund Authority infrastructure investment joint venture.

Related Content

  • March 22, 2023
    Lisbon is newest stop on Optibus' line
    Public transit routing specialist opens office in city which hosts ITS European Congress 2023
  • December 20, 2013
    EBRD supports Kazakhstan railway improvements
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railways company, in its drive to radically improve energy efficiency across its operations. A US$40 million loan, US$700,000 of which will be provided by the Clean Technology Fund, will finance a series of new technologies to reduce energy consumption, from an upgraded lighting system to alternative heating solutions such as heat pumps, solar water heaters and boiler upgrades. The progra
  • December 15, 2015
    Mobility as a Service gaining traction in US and Europe
    As Mobility as a Service starts to move into the mainstream of transport planning, David Crawford compares European and North American initiatives. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept fast gaining traction on both sides of the Atlantic as a way of giving travellers digital multimodal one-stop shops and journey planning tools as an alternative to private car use. Planned delivery methods include subscription-based travel packages in Europe, and 'mobility aggregator' apps, including employee commute ben
  • May 17, 2012
    Bombardier people mover system for Jeddah
    Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Saudi Arabian construction company, Saudi Binladin Group, to design, build, operate and maintain a Bombardier Innovia APM 300 automated people mover system for the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) development project in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The total value of the contract is US$96 million.