Agility Trains was established in 2008 to meet the need for a new set of intercity trains on the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines, as the previous fleets had reached the end of life. Established originally as a joint venture between Hitachi and John Laing in response to DfT’s Intercity Express Programme, Agility won a competitive process to provide new trains through an innovative, long-term financing solution that overcame the considerable funding scarcity the sector faced following the 2008 financial crash.

 

Agility uses a different model to traditional rolling stock leasing companies. Agility was contracted to deliver a full end-to-end service: to design, build, finance, and maintain fleets for the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines.

 

We are a flexible and long-term partner to the Government. Agility has contracts with the Department for Transport (DfT) to provide 122 trains - or 866 carriages - to our two customers, LNER and GWR. The length and nature of our contracts means we can provide cost consistency and supply stability.

 

We do more than just supply the trains: we have also funded the construction of 4 maintenance depots across the country, and refurbished a further 3 including purpose-built facilities in Doncaster, Swansea, and Bristol, that will be eventually owned by the Government after our contract ends, as well as enhancing five other sites across the UK.

 

We supply all of our trains on a 'no train, no pay' basis, meaning that operators don’t pay if we fail to make trains available. This is different from most other rolling stock leasing agreements, where the daily availability of trains to operators is not factored into the contract.

 

Agility’s enhanced performance regime also holds us accountable and to a higher standard, with our contract specifying a quality of service and availability unmatched by any other current UK train provider. This includes extensive KPIs that prioritise passenger experience, and significant financial penalties for poor quality, performance, delays and cancellations.

 

Our diesel/electric ‘bi-mode’ trains, designed to DfT specifications, enable flexible redeployment and enhanced resilience through interoperability with other routes and across different geographies. Our bi-mode trains are also future-proofed for decarbonisation as they can be used as electric trains, where existing infrastructure permits, and are designed to be adaptable for fully electric use in the future.

 

Our trains are high-quality and have left a rich design legacy, having been the base model for many subsequent rolling stock procurements of Hitachi Class 80X trains used for intercity passenger services provided by different operators across the country. As the asset owner, Agility is incentivised to ensure that our trains are built to last and are well maintained so they can meet passenger needs for decades to come.

 

Our shareholders are all experienced investors, with a strong record of financing and delivering complex infrastructure projects. Our investors provide the capital needed to deliver crucial UK infrastructure, taking on the risk and providing the capital required for major projects.

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