Rolling stock lessor Beacon Rail is expanding its presence in the UK with the acquisition of Eversholt Rail, a company leasing units for passenger and freight transport. Regarding rail freight, Eversholt owns a total of 83 Class 66 electric-diesel locomotives.
With this acquisition, Beacon Rail’s fleet of Class 66 locomotives will almost double, from 104 to 187. The ones coming from Eversholt are leased to Freightliner (56), which recently rebranded to Heavy Haul Rail, and GB Railfreight (27). The latter recently placed an order, through Beacon Rail, for 30 new Class 99 for 170 million euros.
Beacon Rail
Other than the Class 66, Beacon Rail leases different types of freight locomotives including Class 68, Class 88 and Siemens electric units. “By bringing Eversholt Rail into Beacon, we are creating a stronger, more capable organisation equipped to support the long‑term growth of sustainable rail transport across Europe”, said Beacon Rail’s CEO Adam Cunliffe.