Train order to provide thousands of jobs
- 00:02:03
- ITN
Train order to provide thousands of jobs
A multibillion-pound Government order for new trains will create or safeguard more than 12,500 jobs. The deal is the single biggest investment in intercity trains for a generation and represents the largest-ever procurement of rolling stock. Transport secretary Geoff Hoon said it will benefit passengers on some of the country's busiest rail routes. A £7.5 billion contract has been awarded to a British-led consortium called Agility Trains, to build and maintain a fleet of new "super express" trains for the Great Western and East Coast main lines. The new trains will replace existing high speed trains which are 20 to 30 years old. Agility, made up of John Laing, Hitachi and Barclays, said it would make a "significant" inward investment as part of this contract. They will build a new train manufacturing plant in the UK, as well as depots in Bristol, Reading, Doncaster, Leeds and west London, with upgrades to existing depots throughout the UK. Mr Hoon said: "This announcement demonstrates that this Government is prepared to invest, even in difficult economic times, by improving our national infrastructure. "It is good news for the British economy that over 12,500 jobs will be created and safeguarded, good news for the regions that the Government is supporting significant inward investment, and good news for passengers that we are taking the steps necessary to improve their rail journeys." The first of the new trains will enter service on the East Coast mainline in 2013. They will be fully operational from 2015, linking London with Cambridge, Leeds, Hull, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh and linking the capital with the Thames Valley, Bristol and South Wales. The Government said its rail experts, working alongside the industry, had created a new specification for the trains that would offer more seats, more reliable services and reduced journey times. There will be options to deploy the 125mph trains on London commuter services on the West Coast Main Line and on services between London and the West of England (Penzance and Exeter). The fleet will comprise an electric, self-powered (diesel), and a bi-mode variant, the latter being able to make use of an electric or a diesel power source at the end of the train. This is the first time in recent history that a bi-mode train has been earmarked for the UK rail network. Bi-mode trains are common on some mainland European national rail systems. The new trains will be cleaner, greener and generate less noise than the trains they will replace. Despite being larger, the new trains will be up to 17 per cent lighter than their counterparts, meaning that they will be more energy efficient and faster at accelerating. The diesel and bi-mode versions will benefit from the latest hybrid power technology which will reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent. The new carriages will be 26 metres long as opposed to the 23 metres of intercity vehicles currently in use. This will mean that they will carry up to 21 per cent more passengers per train than current rolling stock. The faster journey times will also allow operators to run more frequent services. A typical journey between London and Leeds will shorten by about ten minutes, between London and Edinburgh by 12 minutes, between London and Bristol by 10 minutes and between London and Cardiff by 15 minutes.
ITN | February 12, 2009
