Work to create the UK’s first battery-electric trains for long-distance main line services is set to begin in 2028, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. The 29 new Adessia Stream trains are expected to enter service in 2034 and will be built at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane factory in Derby. The government said the investment of almost £1bn would help support more than 350 jobs at Alstom and a further 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the new trains would deliver “faster, more reliable journeys to the north and thousands of British jobs for the next generation”.
He added: “I’ve lost count of the number of times someone has stopped me to tell me about the train that never came. “And when that happens, it means missed shifts, missed appointments, and missed opportunities. Today, that starts to change.” The DfT said the trains would help deliver the Transpennine Route Upgrade’s aim to boost capacity by 30%, with thousands of additional seats a day across the Pennines by the early to mid-2030s. They will run between key destinations across the north including Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, Manchester Airport and Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly and Hull.
The DfT added that journey times will be cut by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York. The trains will be bought by Rock Rail and leased to TransPennine Express, the government added. Alstom, which boasts the largest rolling stock train manufacturing site outside of China, secured a £370m contract in 2024 to produce 10 new London Elizabeth line trains. This came less than three months after a redundancy consultation put 1,300 jobs at risk at its Litchurch Lane factory, which dates back to 1876.
Rob Whyte, managing director UK at Alstom, called the latest agreement a “landmark moment for Britain’s railway”. He said: “We couldn’t be prouder that the country’s first main line battery-electric trains will be designed and built in Britain. “The fleet will transform journeys across northern England while showcasing the very best of British engineering, innovation and advanced manufacturing.” In a statement, DfT said journeys on the new fleet would be “quieter, smoother and more reliable”, while offering “improved accessibility, more luggage space and onboard Wi-Fi”. Step-free boarding – the “elimination of gaps between the train and platform” – are also being promised as part of a commitment to accessibility, alongside three dedicated wheelchair spaces, two accessible toilets, family-friendly areas and cycle and buggy storage on each train.
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