---
title: "RRSG0003 - Expansion of International Passenger Rail Depot Capacity. Potential Public Private Partnership opportunity"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT"
published: "2025-09-29"
---

# RRSG0003 - Expansion of International Passenger Rail Depot Capacity. Potential Public Private Partnership opportunity

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd

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## Summary

The procurement process for the expansion of international passenger rail depot capacity is being led by the Department for Transport in London, UK. This early planning phase, identified with the tag "planning," signifies the project's current status, with milestones such as market engagement set to conclude by 22nd October 2025. The opportunity aims to assess private investor interest in a public-private partnership (PPP) for enhancing rail depot facilities. The project is classified under industry categories like railway construction and engineering services, and it seeks to support the government's goal of boosting international rail connectivity and competition.

This tender presents a valuable opportunity for businesses in the construction, engineering, and transport sectors to engage in significant infrastructure development. Companies experienced in railway engineering, construction, and maintenance services, as well as those offering financial consultancy or business management services, could find this project particularly beneficial. With the potential for long-term returns and involvement in a high-profile government-backed venture, businesses can leverage this opportunity to expand their portfolios and compete on an international stage.

## Notice

The Government is fully supportive of the growth and expansion of international rail connections between the UK and mainland Europe, as well as establishing a thriving and competitive market for international rail passenger services. We are seeing renewed interest from potential new entrants looking to enter the market to compete with Eurostar, as well as Eurostar's own publicised plans to procure a new fleet of trains to supports its expansion plans, including opening new routes to Switzerland and Germany. All are seeking to base their fleet maintenance operations in the UK given the nature of their planned services and constraints in mainland Europe. Most new entrants have plans to procure 10-12 trainsets whilst Eurostar has announced plans to procure 30-50 trainsets across both its cross-Channel and continental Europe networks. A lack of available international passenger rail maintenance / stabling depot capacity is constraining sector growth and limiting competition. The Government is therefore considering potential interventions to address this constraint, which could facilitate market opening and significant growth. The objective of this pre-liminary market engagement is to understand potential private investor interest in and appetite for financing and delivering the expansion of international passenger rail deport capacity in the London area. The Government has assessed options for establishing a new maintenance depot and is now interested in understanding market appetite to participate in the construction and operation of a new light and/or heavy maintenance facility that would be capable of meeting the needs of multiple operators' fleet requirements.

### Planning Information

To ensure we take the right approach, the Department for Transport would like to understand private partner investor interest in this opportunity. We plan to hold initial conversations (up to a maximum of 30 mins for each session) with potential investors over Microsoft Teams week commencing 3rd November 2025.
The strength of demand in the international passenger rail market is evidenced by the significant and active interest that major rail operators have in joining the market. It is envisaged that access charges to depot facilities would generate from consistent long-term returns for an investor in international passenger rail depot capacity. 
The objective of this-preliminary market engagement is to understand potential private investor interest for funding the expansion of international passenger rail depot capacity in London and the Southeast. Including understanding:
• Potential investors’ interest and views on the investment opportunity
• Preferred commercial and delivery structures
• Risk appetite and related considerations
• Other related potential revenue streams, linked to investment in depot capacity expansion, that could generate investment return
Organisations wishing to participate should note that engaging in this preliminary market engagement exercise, including completing and returning a questionnaire response, is not a prerequisite to participating in any subsequent competitive process. 
Department for Transport will review response to this engagement process and may conduct further iterative engagement processes, as it may require. 
In any subsequent procurement Department for Transport will make all relevant market engagement documents available to potential suppliers. 
Participation in this market engagement exercise (including attendance at a market engagement event) will be wholly at each responding organisation's own cost. No expenses or costs incurred by any organisation responding to this notice and/or participating in this engagement process will be reimbursed by the Department for Transport. 
This market engagement exercise and any associated documents or communications should not be regarded as an investment recommendation or defined opportunity. No information contained in the documents or in any communication made between Department for Transport and any organisation in connection with any aspect of this market engagement exercise shall be relied upon as constituting a contract, agreement or representation that any contract shall be awarded. Whether or not the Department for Transport subsequently commences a procurement and/or thereafter awards any contract related to this potential opportunity shall be solely at its discretion. 
The Department for Transport intends to issue a brief post engagement questionnaire to parties that have taken part.
If you would like to take part in this engagement, you must formally express your interest via the Jaggaer online portal using the following link: https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/315617550199856E55A5 
To register your interest in the preliminary market engagement, please ensure you:
Upload a signed copy of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – note that the NDA must be accepted in its standard form and must not be amended.
Submit your completed questionnaire response.
Provide the names and email addresses of up to two attendees who will represent your organisation.
If you are not already registered on the Department for Transport's e-sourcing platform Jaggaer, you can register via the following link: https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060379-2025 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Sep 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 31 Dec 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2027 - 31 Aug 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | Vincent Square |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 45 - Construction work
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services
- 66 - Financial and insurance services
- 70 - Real estate services
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 34620000 - Rolling stock
- 34940000 - Railway equipment
- 34942000 - Signalling equipment
- 45000000 - Construction work
- 45200000 - Works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work
- 45213320 - Construction work for buildings relating to railway transport
- 45220000 - Engineering works and construction works
- 45230000 - Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines, for highways, roads, airfields and railways; flatwork
- 45234100 - Railway construction works
- 45234112 - Railway depot construction work
- 50220000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services related to railways and other equipment
- 50225000 - Railway-track maintenance services
- 50700000 - Repair and maintenance services of building installations
- 66122000 - Corporate finance and venture capital services
- 66171000 - Financial consultancy services
- 70330000 - Property management services of real estate on a fee or contract basis
- 71220000 - Architectural design services
- 71311230 - Railway engineering services
- 71323000 - Engineering-design services for industrial process and production
- 79100000 - Legal services
- 79410000 - Business and management consultancy services
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 90911200 - Building-cleaning services

## Release History

- 29 Sep 2025 at 09:13 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060379-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060379-2025
  29th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/
- https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/315617550199856E55A5
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a3bd.json.