UK: The production of the first of 10 additional nine-car electric multiple-units ordered to increase capacity on London’s Elizabeth Line is underway at Alstom’s Derby factory.
The £220·5m order funded by the Department for Transport was confirmed in June 2024, months after Alstom had warned that the future of the Derby plant was in doubt because of a lack of work once current projects were completed.
Transport for London has contracted the manufacturer to undertake maintenance until 2046, taking the total value of the deal to £370m.
On October 27 London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Lord said ‘the start of production of 10 new trains in Derby is testament to the popularity and success of the Elizabeth Line and shows how it is driving growth well beyond London, boosting employment and powering industry across the UK’.
TfL said it has spent more than £12bn with more than 3 000 UK suppliers over the last two years, and Alstom’s supply chain supports almost 40 companies across the UK totalling more than 1 000 employees.
David Shore, Managing Director of Time 24 which is supplying wiring for the trains, said the order came ‘at a time when the new rolling stock market in the UK had been quiet, and it has allowed us to create jobs and invest back in the business’.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director for UK & Ireland at Alstom, said ‘our historic Derby Litchurch Lane works is crucial to the country’s economic growth, being the only UK factory where you can design, engineer, build and test a train from scratch for both domestic and export markets. Therefore, not only will these new Aventra trains enable Transport for London to continue successfully operating the Elizabeth Line as passenger demand grows, they continue to support high-value manufacturing and supply chain jobs in the East Midlands and across the UK.’
