The government has announced that passengers across the North of the UK will benefit from faster and more reliable journeys following a £1 billion investment towards battery-electric trains.
The new fleet of battery-electric TransPennine Express trains, 29 in total, is set to be built at Derby’s historic Litchurch Lane Works, with the government claiming that they will be a major boost for the British industry.
The deal will support more than 350 jobs in Derby, alongside 40 apprentices and 40 students, while backing a further 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain and generating around £360 million for the wider economy.
Passengers will benefit from faster services, with journey times reduced by 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and by 14 minutes between Manchester and York - as well as improved accessibility, more luggage space and onboard Wi-Fi.
The new trains will help deliver Transpennine Route Upgrade’s (TRU) ambition to boost capacity by 30% with thousands of additional seats a day across the Pennines by the early to mid-2030s. TRU has already delivered over £1 billion of spend with local businesses and £2.6 billion in social value to northern communities, with a workforce of 5,000 people and aiming to provide 8,000 roles in its lifetime.
The battery-electric Adessia Stream trains, the first of their kind on a UK main line route, will provide emission-free travel on non-electrified sections of the railway.
Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said that unreliable trains lead to missed shifts, appointments and opportunities, but the new fleet is taking back control of the basics.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said that this investment embodies how GBR will deliver better journeys for people while backing British business.
The contract with TRU demonstrates the government’s commitment to back British business, investing directly into Alstom, the world’s largest rolling stock train manufacturing site outside of China, which has been successfully designing, engineering, building and building trains since 1876.
The trains are due to be built from 2028 and enter service from winter 2034.