Porterbrook, the UK’s leading rolling stock financier and asset manager, has completed a transaction to acquire 404 vehicles owned by Corelink Rail Infrastructure Limited (Corelink).
The fleet consists of 324 Class 730 Aventra electric multiple units (EMU’s) and 80 Class 196 diesel multiple units (DMU’s), operated by West Midlands Trains (WMT). They serve passengers on regional and long-distance routes between London, Birmingham, and Liverpool.
Together, the multiple units account for approximately 60% of West Midlands Trains’ operations.
“West Midlands Trains has been one of our most important customers for over 15 years, and this recent transaction strengthens our long-term partnership. It also completes an investment program of over £1 billion over the last five years in new trains, rolling stock modernization, traction and rail infrastructure innovations,” said Mary Grant, CEO of Porterbrook.
The Class 730 Aventra multiple units are manufactured by Alstom and operate on the Walsall-Wolverhampton route and the Cross City line in Birmingham. They entered commercial service in March 2024 and carried over 12 million passengers on the Cross-City line in their first year of operation. West Midlands Railway reported a 19% increase in customer satisfaction on this route since the trains were introduced, citing the generous space in the carriages, the intelligent air conditioning system, and the modern amenities as the main reasons for this improvement.
The five-unit Aventra electric trains will be based and maintained at the Bletchley maintenance depot. Last year, this facility was upgraded with modern stabling tracks, inspection facilities, new overhead lines, and portals, following a £66 million investment by Porterbrook.
Corelink is a joint venture between Infracapital and Pan-European Infrastructure II, a fund managed and advised by DWS Group GmbH & Co KGaA.
“We are proud to have established Corelink together with DWS, delivering a modern and energy-efficient rolling stock fleet in the UK that provides a reliable commuting experience across the West Midlands rail network. We believe Porterbrook is well positioned to continue supporting Corelink’s mission to provide safe and sustainable rail transport in the UK,” said Tom Crawley, managing director of Infracapital.
Share on:
