Bombardier signs £105m train supply deal
Derby-based rail technology specialist Bombardier has landed a £105m contract to supply vehicles for the UK’s c2c franchise.
The deal, with Porterbrook and train operator c2c , will see the company supply 60 electric trains, which will be built at Bombardier’s Derby facility and delivered by September 2021. The deal also includes eight years of maintenance.
The news comes just days after Bombardier signed a £542m contract with Corelink Rail Infrastructure to build and maintain 333 train carriages for the new West Midlands Trains franchise.
Richard Hunter, UK managing director, Bombardier Transportation, said: “Our modern AVENTRA trains are proving ever more popular and this order will help transform the travel experience for c2c passengers and deliver almost 20% more capacity to c2c’s fleet. This important contract win demonstrates Bombardier is the first choice when it comes to delivering high quality, transportation products and services, and value-adding long-term solutions for our customers. It’s yet another endorsement of our workforce and the quality of the products we design, engineer, manufacture and service in the UK.”
Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: “We are making the biggest investment in the railways since Victorian times to meet the growing demand for rail travel and improve both journey times and passenger comfort. These British-built Bombardier trains, which are coming into service earlier than planned, will provide much needed extra capacity for thousands of passengers across London and Essex, and also come with facilities such as Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and plug sockets.”
Ernesto Sicilia, managing director, Trenitalia UK said: “We are delighted to announce this deal, which demonstrates our focus on long-term investments in the UK market and our desire to constantly improve the standing of our trains and to deliver visible and valuable improvements on our services. Since our entrance in the UK market the original new trains’ investment plan, which included a phased delivery from 2019 to 2024, has been accelerated overall and we are extremely proud that the new fleet will start to be delivered from summer 2021, three years earlier than what was originally planned.”
The trains will complement the fleets that have already been ordered for Transport for London’s Elizabeth line (Crossrail), London Overground’s LOTRAIN, and the South Western, Greater Anglia and West Midlands franchises.
