The founder and former head of Angel Trains International joins leading financial services firm to develop long term funding and asset management solutions for the European transport sector.
Building on the long-established success and highly regarded competence of the Centrus Transportation team in the UK rail finance market, Centrus has recently established Centrus European Rail Management to address the continental European market which will be led by the founder and long-time head of Angel Trains International (now Alpha Trains), Tim Jackson.
Tim joins Centrus after five years on the operating side of the transport business, as CEO of the UK and South African operations of RATP Dev.
Prior to RATP, Tim provided strategic advice to several European transport groups and closed large cross-border structured financings, as well as providing commercial advice on M&A deals through his own consulting business.
Before RATP, Tim built Angel Trains International from start-up into one of Europe’s largest rolling stock leasing companies with €2 billion of assets spread across twelve countries by the time Tim left the business.
Centrus European Rail Management will combine the expertise and reputation of the existing Centrus Transportation team with Tim’s own broad experience and bring an innovative proposition to the European rolling stock market.
The new business will offer players in the European rail market – operators, manufacturers and transport authorities – access to tailor-made long-term funding solutions, together with the fleet and contract management capability which Centrus already deploys in its UK rail and other businesses.
Jacqui Nelson, Managing Director at Centrus, said: “We are delighted to have Tim join the Centrus Transportation team. We have worked with Tim over many years in his previous roles and know the depth and breadth of his capabilities in the transportation sector which we are confident will offer many new opportunities.”
The Centrus Transportation team has extensive experience financing a broad spectrum of assets, including the core transportation assets of aviation, shipping and rail. The Centrus approach is to maintain long-term relationships with its clients, drawing on its wide investor and industry relationships to provide solutions tailored to their needs.
The team has advised many new entrants to the UK rolling stock finance market including Corelink Rail Infrastructure, a new entrant rolling stock lessor established by a joint venture of funds managed by DWS and Infracapital, that undertook the £700m investment and leasing of rolling stock to the West Midlands franchise. The Centrus team also advised on the lease financing of two new fleets of trains for the Northern franchise that will transform travel through a £1 billion investment in the largest rail network outside London. The team undertakes asset management with current assignments in the rail, aviation and shipping sectors, including the interim management of the Corelink rolling stock business in the UK.
