TerriTrains, the innovative solution serving the Regions
Banque des Territoires and Akiem create TerriTrains, a consortium providing transport operators, regional authorities and the state with an innovative solution for financing, leasing and managing passenger rolling stock
Saint‑Ouen‑sur‑Seine, 31 May 2022,
Akiem, a French company and a leading European provider of rolling stock leasing services, is joining forces with Banque des Territoires to create TerriTrains, a consortium offering solutions to the state, regional authorities and rail companies for financing, acquiring and managing passenger train fleets. Banque des Territoires and Akiem’s goal in setting up TerriTrains is to support territorial authorities as the French rail market opens up to competition, and the industry needs large amounts of new financing as it faces ever‑growing challenges surrounding mobility.
Under the terms of the recent law on the New Railway Pact, regional authorities in France can now take over responsibility for managing passenger trains to improve the quality of rail services, while keeping control of the costs associated with owning and operating rolling stock fleets. Against this background, Akiem and Banque des Territoires have joined forces to offer transport authorities an innovative solution that involves creating platforms for financing and managing their rolling stock fleets. This is the initiative behind the creation of the TerriTrains consortium, which has started operating in recent weeks.
The state and regions spend over five billion euros every year to fund regional express (TER) and regional economic development (TET) train services. As the market opens up to competition, the alliance between Akiem and Banque des Territoires gives them access to outsourced financing for rolling stock via long‑term leasing agreements. By making available Akiem’s expertise and in‑house skill sets, the new consortium also offers the benefits of a solution that:
- covers the complete rolling stock value chain, from overseeing calls for tenders from manufacturers to day‑to‑day management of passenger vehicles;
- promotes economies of scale by pooling their respective needs;
- clarifies the different responsibilities between the rolling stock owner, transport authorities and operators.
Industrial expertise supporting territories and the common good
Akiem is a French company that is present in over 21 countries across Europe and serves almost 80 passenger and freight rail service operators. Convinced that rail is the transport and mobility solution of tomorrow, Akiem provides effective and deliverable responses to operators from all sectors of the rail industry, primarily via maintenance services, expertise in fleet management and rolling stock refits, and skills in overseeing calls for tenders concerning projects to acquire new rolling stock.
Banque des Territoires, with its expertise in project design and financing, supports the emergence of sustainable infrastructure projects and economic development in all regions of France. It therefore has a special focus on projects for reviving regional and inter‑regional rail transport to make territories more attractive, sustainable and inclusive, covering both day‑to‑day travel and less regular long distance journeys.
The alliance between Akiem and Banque des Territoires will give the state and regional authorities access to all the rolling stock expertise of a leading specialist, as well as the reassurance of working with partners that care for the common good.
Together with Banque des Territoires, we are determined to serve local authorities and develop a public‑private leasing solution that offers transport authorities the best possible value for money, via a mechanism that is fully professional, sustainable and transparent. TerriTrains exists to act as a technical, contractual and financial facilitator, supporting public authorities in their drive to develop rail services and acting as a catalyst for growth in rail transport.
In creating the TerriTrains solution with Akiem, our goal is to provide support to transport authorities, particularly the regions, as France’s rail market opens up to competition and, more generally, to contribute to the revival of regional and inter‑regional rail transport. This solution, which transfers the risks of rolling stock ownership, will give transport authorities access to the full range of Akiem’s expertise, and guarantees long‑term non‑discriminatory access to rolling stock to every rail operator selected by regional transport authorities.