“Biggest investment in railways since Victorian era” for Bombardier

Bombardier’s Derby factory has been awarded a £1Bn East Anglia trains deal, dubbed as “biggest rail investment since Victorian era”.

The last train maker, Bombardier, has been awarded a £1Bn contract with the new franchise of East Anglia rail, which will keep the factory busy into the next decade and secure around 1,000 jobs at Litchurch Lane.

Bombardier is the only remaining company that both designs and manufactures trains in the UK.

The Department for Transport announced the contract, which is part of a £1.4Bn boost to rail services for passengers across East Anglia.The DfT said it is one of the biggest ever orders for British Built Trains.

Abellio East Anglia has been awarded a new franchise running from October 2016 to 2025, and will be overseeing the investment which will see a total of 660 “state of the art” carriages built by the Bombardier factory in Derby.

Bombardier put forward a version of the Aventra train, the same model it is supplying for Crossrail, with the difference being its seating configuration.

On a visit to Bombardier in Derby, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the contract saying: “We are making the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorian era.

“By awarding this franchise to Abellio East Anglia we will improve journeys for people in East Anglia.

“Abellio’s decision [to use Bombardier as a supplier] will ensure our train-building industry in Derby remains strong.”

Des McKeon, UK commercial director at Bombardier Transportation, said: “We’re delighted to be chosen, pending final contract signing, as the preferred supplier for new trains for the East Anglia franchise.

“We look forward to working with our customer the Abellio UK, to support them in transforming rail services throughout the region and delivering an enhanced customer experience through the provision of new trains.

“It’s a great endorsement of Bombardier’s next-generation Aventra train family, which offers maximum flexibility, to serve many different market requirements from metro to intercity.”

The franchise includes at least four 90-minute services between London and Norwich each weekend, two 60-minute services per day between London and Ipswich, free wi-fi for all passengers on trains and at stations and new ticket initiatives starting in October 2017, including new offers for part-time users and less frequent travellers.

Bombardier was one of two train manufacturers in the frame for the commuter train fleet, the other being German firm Siemens.

 

If you would like to read more articles like this then please click here

 

The post “Biggest investment in railways since Victorian era” for Bombardier appeared first on UK Construction Online.