▶ The independent rail operator FirstGroup has signed a lease agreement with the rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains and the manufacturer Hitachi, for the lease of 14 brand-new long-distance Open Access trains, with an option for 13 more.

▶ At a cost of £500 million (approx. €600 million / $638 million), the trains will be manufactured by Hitachi in North-East England, securing jobs in that region.

▶ FirstGroup will deploy them on its future services between Wales and London, as well as on its existing Open Access services that have contributed significantly to achieve modal shift to rail.

Last Friday, the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer celebrated this new deal by visiting the Hitachi factory that is tasked with manufacturing these new Open Access trains, thereby securing jobs and the factory’s future.

The deal was completed in under three months. This showcases both the agility that the private sector brings to European rail and the pivotal role of private capital in financing new trains.

After all, Open Access rail operators rely solely upon private investment and assume full commercial risk. We have already witnessed how FirstGroup’s existing Open Access services (under the “Lumo” brand) have helped drive modal shift to rail between Scotland and London.

In the future, other parts of the UK will also benefit from Open Access: securing and creating jobs, increasing seat supply on core routes, and driving modal shift away from carbon-intensive travel.

ALLRAIL’s Secretary General Nick Brooks says: “This example is a role model. Political stakeholders must now create the market conditions to make Open Access the default for long-distance passenger rail in Europe!”