Abellio UK, which operates East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Merseyrail and West Midlands Trains, has completed a management buyout (MBO) that will see it renamed to Transport UK Group Ltd (TUK).
Abellio UK and its Dutch shareholder Nederlandse Spoorwegen have announced the completion of the MBO, which was signed in August 2022, after receiving all formal approvals required.
The deal was led by Dominic Booth, managing director, Transport UK Group, who said: “We are thrilled to return key public transport services back into UK ownership. While our name will change to Transport UK Group, our values remain the same.
“We will continue to play a key role in the country’s transport sector, ensuring the provision of our award-winning services to passengers around the UK and driving innovation to develop a low-emission UK transport network.”
Now the deal has been finalised, TUK will take over Abellio UK’s existing services, which currently serve millions of rail and bus passengers in London, Liverpool, the Midlands and East Anglia.
What’s more, TUK will operate East Midlands, West Midlands and Greater Anglia services, more than 60 London bus routes and Merseyrail, the last of which will be done in partnership with Serco.
The Abellio brand will temporarily remain in operation for some parts of the business, such as Abellio London Bus, but under the TUK group.
TUK claims that, under its new name, it remains committed to supporting the future of the UK’s bus and rail sectors, including shaping the debate about future rail industry reform and implementing a ‘future-ready, low-emission UK transport network’.
