Speed-up of services in the Thames region / 1,140 new Siemens carriages for London / Thameslink project receives EUR 150 million in financing from KfW IPEX-Bank

Frankfurt am Main (ots) - KfW IPEX-Bank is providing a loan of
around EUR 150 million for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project
(TRSP). The funds will be used to purchase a new train fleet of 1,140
carriages from train manufacturer Siemens in a contract worth circa
GBP1.6 billion. The newly signed agreement comprises the design,
manufacture, commissioning and maintenance of the trains.

The funds are being provided by a group of 19 international banks
together with the European Investment Bank (EIB). As modelling bank
KfW IPEX-Bank is acting as one of four structuring banks within this
consortium and as such has played a key role in the outcome of
negotiations.

On the occasion of the signing ceremony Christian K. Murach,
member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank, emphasised that "The
project is of vital interest for commuter traffic in London. It will
help shift personal motorised transport to rail, thus reducing
harmful emissions. By helping to finance this deal KfW IPEX-Bank,
whose core business activities include both infrastructure
development and the financing of environmental and climate protection
projects, has made a significant contribution to both objectives. In
addition we are financing exports of one of our main core clients
from Germany."

TRSP is part of the important GBP6 billion Thameslink Programme.
Its aim is to run longer trains with frequencies of 24 trains per
hour in each direction from the existing East Coast Main Line through
central London via St Pancras to Blackfriars by 2018.

With this finance deal KfW IPEX-Bank is strengthening its position
in the strategically important British market as one of the leading
financiers of transport and infrastructure projects.

About KfW IPEX-Bank

Within the KfW Group, KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH is in charge of
international project and export finance. It is responsible for
providing financing to support the German and European economy, a
task derived from the legal mandate assigned to the KfW Group. Its
prime focus is on medium- and long-term lending to boost the export
economy, develop economic and social infrastructure and support
environmental and climate protection projects. KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH
operates as a legally independent group subsidiary and plays a major
role in fulfilling the promotional mission of the KfW Group. It has
around 590 employees and is represented in the key economic and
financial centres around the globe.

Contact:
KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, Palmengartenstraße 5-9, 60325 Frankfurt
Pressestelle: E-Mail: dela.strumpf@kfw.de
Tel. 069 7431 2984, Fax: 069 7431 9409, E-Mail:
info@kfw-ipex-bank.de,
Internet: www.kfw-ipex-bank.de