GERMAN TRANSPORT company Deutsche Bahn AG has agreed to the sale of Arriva Group to global investment firm I Squared Capital – which will see the Arriva-operated train companies transferred to the new owner during 2024, subject to final conditions and approvals being met.
In terms of its UK rail operations, Arriva is currently responsible for the operation of CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways, Grand Central and London Overground operator Arriva Rail London, the company also having a heavy presence in bus services throughout the UK.
DB took over Arriva Group in 2010, but as part of DB’s Strong Rail Group strategy, the company announced that it intended to sell Arriva to enable additional growth in rail transport in Germany, allowing it to focus on its core business. Arriva Sweden and Portugal were sold by DB in 2022, while the sale of Arriva’s operations in Serbia, Denmark and Poland (the bus division) was completed in 2023, with the remaining Arriva Group companies now set to be sold to I Squared Capital.
I Squared is a leading investor in transport and logistics and in decarbonisation technologies, investing capital in companies to support their transition to sustainable modern public utilities.
I Squared Global chief information officer and managing partner Gautam Bhandari said: “Arriva’s strategy for net-zero operations and the decar
