UK Rail Leasing

UK Rail Leasing (UKRL) is a British railway company offering locomotive leasing and rolling stock engineering services to various train operating companies. It is based in Leicester.

UKRL was founded in September 2013; within two months, it had secured the lease of a rail depot in Leicester, which it promptly modernised, while 16 Class 56 and two Class 37/9 diesel locomotives were also acquired. During 2014, UKRL secured a rolling stock maintenance arrangement with the train operator East Midlands Railway; similar work would also come from CrossCountry and other regional operators. In November 2014, UKRL's first Class 56 locomotive was certified for main line use and hired out to the British freight operator Freightliner; further locomotives would be returned to service and leased out throughout the following three years.

In addition to overhauling its own fleet, UKRL has performed locomotive overhauls for Electric Traction Limited, Europhoenix and Rail Operations Group. The company also investigated major upgrades for the Class 56, which included reengining and new electronics. During June 2018, it was announced that all 16 of UKRL's Class 56s had been purchased by the freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRf); the company was also contracted to work on GBRf's fleet of Class 92 electric locomotives. That same year, UKRL bought the Leicester depot, where it was making additional investments to expand the firm's maintenance, engineering, and overhaul capabilities.