Agility Trains

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Agility Trains is a private group created in 2008 to win a UK government contract for a new long-distance train fleet. It was started by Hitachi of Japan and John Laing in June 2008, with Barclays Private Equity joining soon after; AXA UK and later GLIL Infrastructure have also invested. The consortium aimed to replace the aging Intercity 125 trains on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line with the Class 800 and 801 high-speed trains, offering more seats and faster, cleaner travel.

In 2012, a final contract was signed worth about £4.5 billion to design, build, and maintain trains for the GWML and ECML. Most trains were assembled in the UK, using Japanese bodyshells, and a new Hitachi factory was built at Newton Aycliffe along with maintenance depots. The first IEP train left Japan in January 2015, the first GWML service began in October 2017, and the first ECML service started in May 2019.

Ownership has changed over the years: in 2018 AXA bought half of John Laing’s stake; in 2020 John Laing sold its remaining stake to AIP Management; in 2021 GLIL Infrastructure bought 30% of Agility Trains from Hitachi, leaving Hitachi with 40% and GLIL and AIP with 30% each.