Alstom has started manufacturing ten additional trains for Transport for London’s Elizabeth line at its Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, UK.
The £220.5m ($293.9m) contract for the new Class 345 Aventra electric multiple units involves almost 40 British companies and more than 1,000 employees.
The new trains, funded by the UK government, are intended to increase capacity on the Elizabeth line, which has recorded an average of 800,000 daily journeys since it opened in 2022.
Alstom’s Derby facility is the only site in the UK that manages the full train manufacturing process.
The Litchurch Lane Works, established in 1876, continues Derby’s long-standing involvement in train production.
Alstom UK and Ireland managing director Rob Whyte said: “Our historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works are 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.”
The additional trains will allow Transport for London to meet rising demand and prepare for future connections, including services to HS2’s Old Oak Common station.
TfL reported that it has spent over £12bn with more than 3,000 UK suppliers in the past two years, contributing over £11bn in Gross Value Added and supporting 100,000 full-time jobs annually.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said: “Thanks to over £220m in Government funding, TfL’s order for new Elizabeth line trains is a shining example of how public investment in our railways delivers for communities across the country, supporting more than 1,000 skilled jobs and ensuring London’s transport network keeps pace with growing demand.”
Recently, Alstom and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) unveiled the first of ten new electric trains set to provide express service between central Barcelona and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain.
