Jason Ford

UK government moves to upgrade inter-city trains

News

The government has approved a £5.2bn programme that will see the replacement of high-speed inter-city trains and the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between Cardiff, Bristol and Didcot.

In an announcement yesterday, transport secretary Phil Hammond gave the go-ahead for the £4.5bn Intercity Express Programme (IEP) and the £704m electrification plans that will cut journey times from Cardiff to London by 17 minutes.

The IEP has been led by the Department for Transport, with assistance from the rail industry, since November 2005. In February 2009 the Agility Trains consortium, made up of Hitachi and John Laing Projects and Development, was announced preferred bidder to deliver trains for the scheme.

Subject to final close, Agility is expected to build a combination of around 100 electric trains and bi-mode — diesel and electric — inter-city trains which will run to Great Western Main Line stations and East Coast Main Line in England and Scotland.

Similarly, Hitachi will make Newton Aycliffe in County Durham the site for its planned European rolling stock manufacturing and assembly centre once commercial agreements are finalised.

The factory, which is expected to be operational by 2013, is likely to generate at least 500 new jobs, plus opportunities for the UK and European supply chain.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address