Green light: KfW IPEX-Bank finances new railway cars for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express

Frankfurt am Main (ots) -

- 82 new double-deck cars for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express
- Environmentally friendly shift of traffic from road to rail in
the greater urban area

KfW IPEX-Bank will participate in the financing of 82 double-deck
cars for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express (RRX) in North Rhine-Westphalia by
providing a loan of EUR 283 million. The procurement of the
state-of-the-art cars is part of a major project with a total volume
of around EUR 1.7 billion. It will also involve substantial
infrastructure measures.

"By financing the cars for the Rhein-Ruhr-Express we are
supporting the railway-based centrepiece of North Rhine-Westphalia's
network expansion," said Christian K. Murach, member of the
Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank upon the signing of the agreement.
"This will have a direct positive effect on the environment, as
shifting some 30,000 private journeys made every day from the road to
the railway will make a significant contribution to reducing the
emission of pollutants in the region."

The creation of the RRX will overhaul regional traffic in North
Rhine-Westphalia and ease the volume of private traffic between the
main cities in the region. It will generally improve the mobility of
those living in the conurbation by offering faster journey times,
higher capacity and better service quality.

KfW IPEX-Bank is financing the procurement of 82 Desiro HC cars
from the manufacturer Siemens, which will also be responsible for
subsequent maintenance and repair work for 32 years. The client is
the special-purpose association Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) in
conjunction with the other participating special-purpose associations
in the state. These associations recently announced that the future
operators have now also been determined - Abellio and National
Express.

About KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH

Within the KfW Group, KfW IPEX-Bank is responsible for
international project and export finance. Its function of providing
financing to boost the German and European economy is derived from
the legal mandate assigned to KfW. It offers medium- and long-term
financing to support key export industries, to develop economic and
social infrastructure and to fund environmental and climate
protection projects. KfW IPEX-Bank operates as a legally independent
group subsidiary and plays a major role in fulfilling KfW's
promotional mission. It is represented in the most important economic
and financial centres across the globe.

Contact:
KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, Palmengartenstraße 5-9, 60325 Frankfurt
Pressestelle: Dela Strumpf, 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