21.09.16
Hitachi signs long-term Class 800 engine contract with MTU
MTU, a division of Rolls-Royce, will continue supplying PowerPacks for the Hitachi trains used on the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) after a new long-term contract was announced today.
The company will provide additional MTU Series 1600 PowerPacks on top of 250 packs it was originally contracted to deliver for the Class 800 and 801 trains in 2012.
It will also assume responsibility for their maintenance – both preventative and any repairs or major overhauls – from 2017, under a contract set to last the 27.5 years of Hitachi’s service and maintenance contract for the IEP.
Denise Kurtulus, director of sales services at MTU, said: “Operating the IEP trains calls for maximum operational availability and reliability, so we're especially delighted to have succeeded in winning Hitachi over with our all-round proposition and our many years of experience in rail maintenance contracts in the UK.”
MTU already supplies and maintains the engines for the Class 43 high-speed trains, with service responsibility lying with the company’s West Sussex plant.
Andy Rogers, projects director at Hitachi Rail Europe, added: “We look forward to continuing our work with MTU who have embedded themselves in a number of Hitachi’s sites.
“Our close working relationship with MTU will ensure the UK’s next generation of Intercity trains delivers an enhanced level of service resilience and reliability."
(Image c. MTU)
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an RTM columnist? If so, click here.