First Class Partnerships rebrands as CPCS

First Class Partnerships (FCP), a UK-based strategic rail advisory firm established in 1996 has been rebranded to match its parent company and becomes within CPCS its UK and Europe Division alongside other divisions working across Africa, North America and beyond.

The move comes after FCP merged in 2020 with CPCS, a global infrastructure consulting firm headquartered in Canada. Both organizations have since integrated their activities under CPCS, giving clients access to greater technical and commercial depth, capabilities and capacities across the global transport sector.

Since the merger, CPCS has continued delivering rail transport advisory services and major project assistance to existing and new clients, including the UK’s Department for Transport, the World Bank Group, one of Canada’s public transportation agencies Metrolinx, US transportation agencies, as well as private sector railway operators, investors and systems manufacturers.

Marc-André Roy, managing partner, said: “FCP has been widely known as leading strategic advisors in the rail industry in the UK and beyond and we are proud to continue to leverage and to complement this depth under the CPCS name.”

Some recent projects since merger:

• delivering ongoing strategic support to major capital projects such as GO Expansion in Toronto
• exploring the opportunities for hydrogen-fuelled rail vehicles
• developing business cases for rail services and facilities
• providing asset management and operations advice and assurance to national and regional governments internationally
• developing successful bid submissions for Tier 1 suppliers
• commercial problem-solving and, where necessary, claims management on complex rail projects
• conducting due diligence for major financial transactions

Ian Horseman Sewell, VP of UK and Europe (FCP’s former CEO), said: “Having operated under separate names for more than a year, during which time we have successfully integrated the two organisations, we are excited to adopt the CPCS brand, which has long been recognised for the delivery of high impact advice.”

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