Taylor Wessing has provided comprehensive legal advice to Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale on the structuring and implementation of the financing of 27 new electric multiple units for the Regionaltangente West (RTW). The financing, with a volume of around EUR 300 million and a tenor of 25 years, was jointly structured by Helaba and fahma, a subsidiary of Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), and awarded to Helaba as financing partner following a cross-border tender process. The structure aims, inter alia, to involve local savings banks as well as the development bank Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturbank Hessen (WIBank), thereby strengthening value creation within the Savings Banks Finance Group and in the region.
Dr Alper Utlu (Salary Partner, Finance, Frankfurt) acted as lead counsel to Helaba on all legal aspects of the long-term financing structure. He was supported by Dr Christian Köhler (Salary Partner, Corporate / Capital Markets, Berlin), who advised on selected capital markets law issues in connection with the structuring of the long-term debt financing. The team assisted Helaba in particular with the drafting and negotiation of the financing documentation, the involvement of the participating institutions and public law aspects, including public procurement and state aid.
“The Regionaltangente West is a landmark project for a modern and integrated rail infrastructure in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region. I am particularly pleased that we were able to support Helaba and fahma in structuring a long-term, sustainable financing for the new electric multiple units, as environmentally friendly rail transport is a key lever in achieving climate targets and easing the burden on this metropolitan area,” says Dr Alper Utlu.
For Helaba, the financing of the RTW rolling stock represents another important milestone in expanding its sustainably oriented business in the regional passenger rail sector, which is directly aligned with the bank’s mobility and climate objectives. The new electric multiple units will help shift transport from road to rail and thus reduce CO₂ emissions in the Rhine-Main region.
Legal advisors to Helaba
Taylor Wessing Germany: Lead counsel Dr Alper Utlu (Salary Partner, Finance, Frankfurt), supported by Dr Christian Köhler (Salary Partner, Corporate / Capital Markets, Berlin), Ulf Gosejacob (Partner, Finance, Frankfurt), Dr Marc-Oliver Kurth (Partner, Corporate / Capital Markets, Frankfurt) and Susanne Dams (Associate, Corporate / Capital Markets, Frankfurt).
