Engineering news
Hitachi Rail Europe unveiled the first Intercity Express train to be built in the UK at its manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
Hitachi Rail Europe (HRE) opened the £82 million facility in Newton Aycliffe in September 2015 in an endeavour to develop a hub of industry and innovation in the North East. By Spring 2017, Newton Aycliffe will employ approximately 900 people. By 2019, HRE will employ 2,000 people across 14 UK sites, including manufacturing and maintenance facilities. A host of UK businesses will continue to supply parts for the trains, supporting thousands of additional jobs countrywide.
In addition to building new fleets, Hitachi will maintain the trains at newly built facilities. By 2020 Hitachi will have 281 trains running on the UK network, carrying millions of passengers along intercity and commuter routes and supply 122 intercity trains for passengers travelling on the Great Western and East Coast main lines.
The event at Newton Aycliffe was an opportunity to view and board the Intercity Express (IEP) trains and see trains being built at the facility. Attendees witnessed the engineering skills that Hitachi has invested in, and met with members of the team working on IEP, including some of the 50 apprentices employed at Newton Aycliffe.
Karen Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: “We welcome the government’s recent commitment to further invest in rail infrastructure and the digitisation of Britain’s railways.”
Mark Hopwood, managing director of Great Western Railway, said: “Passengers can expect to see the trains operating on our network next summer, and in regular timetabled service in autumn. The trains will result in more frequent and faster journeys, and an increase in the number of seats available.”
The IEP’s are a part of a £5.7 billion government-funded programme to modernise UK intercity travel.