Ashurst advised Bayerische Landesbank (BayernLB), Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CACIB) and Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba) in connection with financing 30 electrical multiple units (EMUs) from the manufacturer Alstom for regional transport company Hessische Landesbahn (HLB). The banks are providing a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of DAL Deutsche Anlage Leasing, Mainz, with the necessary financing. The SPV is thereby acquiring brand-new EMUs of the type CORADIA Continental with a purchase price of ca. €160 million and is supplying HLB with them by means of a leasing structure.

HLB was awarded the contract for operating short-distance rail passenger transport on the subnetwork Südhessen-Untermain on 12 October 2015 and will be running the leased EMUs on this network. The transport agreement underlying the contract has a term of 15 years with a planned start of operations in December 2018.

The Ashurst team was led by Frankfurt-based finance partner Derk Opitz. He was supported by associate Annabelle Sachs (finance) as well as partner Andreas Vogel and associate Holger Mlynek (both transport, all Frankfurt). Partner Hassan Javanshir and associate Thomas Ehrecke from Ashurst's Paris office advised on French financing law.