---
title: "EMR Lease of x2 Class 221 Units"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078803"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078803"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078803.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078803.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED"
published: "2026-10-14"
---

# EMR Lease of x2 Class 221 Units

Buyer: TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078803

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## Summary

Transport UK East Midlands Limited (EMR) procured the short-term hire of two Class 221 passenger trains for East Midlands Railway passenger services. The requirement covers the trains themselves, maintenance, technical support and daily certification that each train is fit to run. This is a rolling-stock and associated railway support requirement, rather than a purchase of passenger services. The trains are intended for use on East Midlands Railway services in the United Kingdom. The procurement is for a single requirement, covering both units together.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Grand Central Railway Company Limited. The award date was 14 October 2026. The awarded value is £5,679,704.52 excluding VAT (£6,815,645.42 including VAT). The contract period runs from 26 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, with an option to extend up to 7 April 2027 to maintain continuity of services. EMR used a direct award, citing technical reasons that it considered left no reasonable alternative supplier, and extreme, unavoidable urgency that prevented a competitive tender within the required timescale. The procurement was not divided into separate lots. The award was made under the utilities regime.

For suppliers tracking future demand from EMR, this award demonstrates a requirement for access to Class 221 passenger rolling stock together with the ability to maintain it, provide technical support and certify fitness to run each day. A credible competitor would need to demonstrate that it can supply compatible units and deliver the operational support needed to keep them in passenger service. The buyer’s stated case for this award was that technical constraints left no reasonable alternative provider, alongside urgent continuity needs; suppliers positioning for comparable work would therefore need to show that their equipment and support can meet the specific fleet requirement and be mobilised within demanding timescales. The combined supply and support scope indicates a substantial rail-operating requirement.

## Notice

Transport UK East Midlands Limited (EMR) intends to enter into a short-term operating hire of two Class 221 passenger rolling-stock units, including maintenance, technical support and daily fitness-to-run certification, for use on East Midlands Railway passenger services from 26 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

### Procurement Information

Schedule 5, paragraph 6: absence of competition for technical reasons. The contract is being directly awarded on the basis that, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only the selected supplier is able to provide the required Class 221 services and there are no reasonable alternatives capable of meeting the requirement. Schedule 5, paragraphs 13 and 14: extreme and unavoidable urgency. The required services are strictly necessary for reasons of extreme and unavoidable urgency and the timescales do not permit the contract to be awarded through a competitive tendering procedure. The circumstances giving rise to the urgency were not attributable to an act or omission of the contracting authority and could not reasonably have been foreseen.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097232-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 26 Oct 2026 - 28 Feb 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £5,679,704 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | Central London |
| Postcode | EC4A 3AG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | City of London |
| Electoral ward | Castle Baynard |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GRAND CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34600000 - Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts

## Release History

- 14 Oct 2026 at 17:40 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097232-2026
- 14 Oct 2026 at 17:23 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097228-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097232-2026
  14th October 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097228-2026
  14th October 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.grandcentralrail.com/
- 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-078803. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078803.json.