Operis is pleased to have supported Rock Rail and John Laing in securing financing for the North Westphalia Network rolling stock project in Germany. Operis acted as modelling advisor to the sponsors from initial model development, through bid stage and to financial close. A separate team at Operis also acted as model auditor.
The project will finance and own a fleet of 61 new Siemens Mireo battery-electric multiple-unit trains for regional passenger services in North Rhine-Westphalia. The new fleet will replace existing diesel trains from late 2029, helping to deliver cleaner, quieter regional transport and support rail decarbonisation in Germany.
The public-private partnership is structured as a long-term availability-based “wet” lease over a 30-year operating period, following a four-year delivery period. The rolling stock fleet will be provided to a private rail operator designated by the contracting authority. The project was procured by Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe, the public transport authority for the region. A separate procurement process to appoint the rail operator is currently underway.
We were particularly pleased to support Rock Rail on this transaction, building on our work together on other rolling stock projects in Germany and the UK.
