ALSTOM SA : Hitachi and Alstom win order to build and maintain High Speed Two trains in Britain
December 09 2021 - 6:04AM
ALSTOM SA : Hitachi and Alstom win order to build and maintain High
Speed Two trains in Britain
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hitachi and Alstom win order to build and
maintain High Speed Two trains in Britain
- Major
economic boost – thousands of green jobs created and secured to
build new generation of 54 high speed trains in North and Midlands,
adding
£1.1billion GVA
during manufacturing to grow and level up the
economy
- The
contract – worth around £2billion
- will be delivered at Hitachi
Rail’s new advanced welding facility in Newton Aycliffe, at a new
production line at Alstom’s factory in Derby and by a new bogie
manufacturing facility at Alstom Crewe
- All-electric
fleet will be the fastest train
in Europe
Alstom and Hitachi Rail have today confirmed that the
Hitachi-Alstom High Speed (HAH-S) 50/50 joint venture has signed
contracts with High Speed Two (HS2) to design, build, and maintain
the next generation of very high speed trains for HS2 Phase 1 as
part of the £1.97 billion contract, including an initial 12-year
train maintenance contract. The UK’s two leading train
manufacturers will deliver Europe’s fastest operational train,
capable of operating at maximum speeds of 225mph (360 km/h),
significantly reducing journey times for passengers. The fleet will
be 100% electric, and be one of the world’s most energy efficient
very high speed trains due to the lower train mass per passenger,
aerodynamic design, regenerative power and latest energy efficient
traction technology.In a major boost to grow and rebalance the
economy, the HAH-S joint venture will manufacture the 54 trains at
newly enhanced facilities in County Durham, Derby and Crewe. The
award to the British-based firms will protect and create thousands
of green jobs and add £157 million GVA to the UK economy for every
year of the train building phase.The new 200m-long, 8-car trains
are set to run in Phase 1 of the project between London and
Birmingham, and on the existing network, and will dramatically
increase capacity and connectivity between towns and cities across
the country including Stoke, Crewe, Manchester, Liverpool,
Carlisle, Motherwell and Glasgow. They will have a major impact in
reducing carbon emissions from transport by encouraging people away
from fossil fuelled cars and planes, and onto rail.Andrew
Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail said: “We are excited to be
pioneering the next generation of high speed rail in the UK as part
of our joint venture with Alstom. This British-built bullet train
will be the fastest in Europe, and I am proud of the role that
Hitachi will play in helping to improve mobility in the UK through
this project.”Alstom’s Managing
Director, UK &
Ireland, Nick Crossfield
said:“HS2 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to
transform Britain by building a sustainable transport system fit
for the 21st Century. I am delighted that Alstom’s joint venture
with Hitachi Rail has been selected to develop, build and maintain
in Britain the next generation of high speed trains.”
British high speed
trainsPredominantly UK-designed, the trains will be built,
tested and maintained in Britain and will be the most advanced in
Europe, supported by decades of experience in very high speed
trains around the world. On the new HS2 network, passengers will be
able to benefit from very high reliability levels and the latest
passenger innovations. Alstom and Hitachi’s high speed train
platform utilises unprecedented levels of smart digital technology.
The in-built digital system includes state of art innovative
sensors that enable potential faults to be identified and ensuring
reliable and seamless passengers’ journeys. Passengers will be able
to access seamless, high capacity wireless internet, digital seat
reservations and richer travel information delivered through
multiple channels, with the trains future-proofed to accommodate
technological advances. Train designers will work with world
renowned inclusive design experts to put empathy at the heart of
the design, meeting the needs of passengers of all ages and
abilities.Boosting and rebalancing the economyThe
award of Britain’s most important train is a major boost to the
British economy. Alstom and Hitachi will build the new fleet at
their facilities in Newton Aycliffe, Derby and Crewe, supported by
a 9,000 strong British workforce and extensive supply chains.
The HS2 rolling stock contract is expected to create and sustain
over 2,500 jobs. 505 people will be directly employed by the two
companies in the Midlands and the North in the design and
manufacturing phase, including 49 apprentices and graduates working
on the prestigious programme. The extensive use of UK supply chain
means that a further 2,000 indirect jobs are expected to be created
elsewhere in the UK economy. In addition, the train maintenance
phase will create over 100 new jobs at Washwood Heath in
Birmingham, The contract will provide a launch pad for new
investment in education and learning, adding to the existing
partnerships with local schools and the 200 apprentices and
graduates already employed by the two joint venture companies. The
two companies have committed to £5m in research and development
spending with UK universities. As part of the award, Hitachi and
Alstom are making new multi-million-pound investments in advanced
welding and bogie manufacturing, which will see a major upskilling
of the workforce and an expansion in the sophistication of the UK’s
train building capability. Analysis undertaken by Oxford Economics
found that HAH-S will deliver £1.1 billion GVA to the UK economy
during the manufacturing phase alone.Hitachi Rail recently invested
£8.5m in a bespoke welding and painting facilities at its Newton
Aycliffe factory, taking its total investment up to £110m. The
site, which opened in 2015 and employs around 700 staff, was a
major boost for manufacturing in the region and returned train
building to the North East. The new welding facility will carry out
vehicle body assembly and fit out, before each one is transported
to the East Midlands.Once in Alstom’s factory in Derby, the largest
in the UK with 2,000 staff, the trains will be fitted with all
remaining components including interiors, electrics, and bogies.
The bogies will be made by Alstom at their Crewe facility, first
time in 17 years that these high value items have been manufactured
in the UK, as part of a new investment by the firm. The welding
facility in the North East and bogie production in Crewe represent
important upskilling and lasting legacies for the UK. A dedicated
maintenance team will be recruited to deliver a world class service
from the new Washwood Heath facility being constructed by HS2 in
Birmingham. Alstom’s service centre in Crewe will also become a
strategic base for heavy maintenance activity on a significant
proportion of the train’s key components and systems. These
long-term maintenance operations will deliver opportunities for
both regions in terms of job creation and business development for
the wider supply chain, including small and medium enterprises.
HAH-S will now work with HS2 and with HS2 operator West Coast
Partnership to refine the final design of the train, before
manufacturing begins in 2025.Cutting carbon across
BritainBeing 100% electric and having the ability to
transport over 500 people per journey, ensures the new HS2 fleet is
a lower carbon alternative than making the same journey by road or
air. This environmental benefit will increase over time as the
electricity it draws from the grid becomes increasingly
decarbonised in the coming decades. The lightweight and aerodynamic
design, coupled with latest energy efficiency traction technology,
ensures that the HS2 fleet will be one of the world’s most energy
efficient very high speed trains. The state of the art regenerative
braking system improves energy efficiency even further by returning
electricity back to the national grid.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:Will Tanner,
Communications Director, UK & Ireland, Alstomm: +44
7768 031 663Email: will.tanner@alstomgroup.comDouglas
McIlroy, Head of UK External Affairs, Hitachi Railm: +44
7548 238 140Email: douglas.mcilroy@hitachirail.comNotes to
editors:
- Supporting imagery
can be downloaded via here. If unable to download, please contact a
representative of Hitachi or Alstom via the details above
- Hitachi Rail and
Alstom have formed a joint venture – Hitachi-Alstom High Speed
joint venture – to design, build and maintain 54 trains for HS2
Phase 1.
- Alstom’s and
Hitachi’s combined UK operations currently employ around 9,000
people that includes train factories in Derby, Newton Aycliffe and
Crewe and multiple train overhaul and maintenance sites across
England, Scotland and Wales and extensive regional supply
chains.
- The partnership
between the two UK-based firms is built on an impressive depth of
experience delivering high speed trains internationally. Hitachi
has pioneered Japan’s world-renowned Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’
while Alstom, famed for its development of the TGV in France,
offers a wealth of expertise from its high speed trains operating
in 25 countries worldwide (Europe, China and the USA).
- In the UK, Hitachi
maintains the country’s only domestic high speed fleet, the Class
395 Javelins, which it built and introduced ahead of the London
2012 Games. The trains, which have run from Ashford to London St
Pancras at a top speed of 140mph for almost a decade, are one of
the most reliable and popular services in the country.
- HAH-S is an
agreement to share HS2 bidding and project information between
Hitachi Rail and Alstom in order to build a new fleet for HS2.
Hitachi Rail and Alstom remain competitors in all other markets and
competitions.
- Alstom acquired
Bombardier Transportation in January 2021 including the Derby and
Crewe rolling stock facilities.
About Hitachi RailHitachi Rail is a fully
integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock,
signalling, service & maintenance, digital technology and
turnkey solutions. With a presence in 38 countries across six
continents and over 12,000 employees, our mission is to contribute
to society through the continuous development of superior rail
transport solutions. We are proud of our global achievements, from
our world famous ‘bullet trains’, to our signalling solutions and
turnkey projects, state-of-the-art traffic management and digital
solutions. Drawing on the wider Hitachi Group’s market-leading
technology and research-and-development capabilities, we strive for
industry leading innovations and solutions that can deliver value
for customers and sustainable railway systems that benefit wider
society. For information about Hitachi Rail, visit
www.hitachirail.com About AlstomLeading societies
to a low carbon future, Alstom develops and markets mobility
solutions that provide the sustainable foundations for the future
of transportation. Alstom’s product portfolio ranges from high
speed trains, metros, monorails and trams, to integrated systems,
customised services, infrastructure, signalling, and digital
mobility solutions. Alstom has 150,000 vehicles in commercial
service worldwide. With Bombardier Transportation joining Alstom on
January 29, 2021, the enlarged Group’s combined proforma revenue
amounts to €14 billion for the 12-month period ended March 31,
2021. Headquartered in France, Alstom is now present in 70
countries and employs more than 70,000 people. www.alstom.com
- Hitachi Alstom Contract Award Media Release - final 091221
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