Bayern LB, Helaba and KfW IPEX-Bank have joined forces to finance the acquisition of 32 modern Coradia Continental electric multiple units for Hessische Landesbahn GmbH (HLB). Each bank in the consortium, in which Helaba is acting as lead manager, is providing one third of the total lending volume. The environmentally friendly electric multiple units are being leased by DAL Deutsche An-lagen-Leasing GmbH & Co. KG to HLB under a long-term contract.

HLB will be deploying the rolling stock on the Mittelhessen (Central Hesse) subnetwork through its subsidiary HLB Hessenbahn GmbH starting with the timetable changeover in December 2023. This electrified network includes the existing RMV lines 37, 40, 41 and 49 and the declared goal is to shift even more traffic from road to rail using state-of-the-art electric trains. The new regional trains will replace older, less environmentally friendly rolling stock.

"Hessische Landesbahn GmbH has been an excellent and long-standing client for the banks financ-ing this project. With this transaction, we are proud to be able to contribute to an environmentally friendly regional public transport project," explains Martin Metz, Head of Land Transport at Helaba. "Thanks to a proportionate share of funding from the Hessian state development bank, WIBank, as well as to the tremendous efforts of all the banks involved, we have succeeded in providing an attractive financing solution for HLB. Veit Salzmann, Managing Director of Hessische Landesbahn GmbH, reiterates this sentiment: "We are delighted that all participants have demonstrated such outstanding commitment. The key to successfully and quickly realising this project was the high level of mutual trust."