02.11.17
HS2 unveils bidders for lucrative £2.75bn train contracts
The shortlist of companies who will compete for the lucrative £2.75bn contract to build the new HS2 fleet have been revealed today.
Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi Rail Europe, Spanish manufacturer Patentes Talgo S.L.U and Siemens PLC will all be in the running for contracts to design, build and maintain at least 54 trains coming into service from 2026.
All bidders will be invited to tender in spring 2018, with contracts set to be officially awarded in 2019.
The winner of the contracts will be required to deliver the modern rolling stock that will operate at speeds of up to 225mph and give the UK network a major capacity boost.
The first of the new rolling stock is expected to come off the production line in the early 2020s, and the manufacture of the carriages is expected to create hundreds of jobs as go some way in plugging the skills gap in the industry.
“Thousands of skilled British jobs and apprenticeships will be created by HS2, which gets a step closer as we reveal the companies shortlisted to build the high-speed trains,” said rail minister Paul Maynard.
“HS2 will see some of the world’s fastest trains connecting our great cities across the north and Midlands, creating an economy that works for everyone.
“But announcements like this show how the benefits of HS2 will resonate far beyond the opening of the new railway. HS2’s legacy of jobs and skills is already being created.”
And HS2 managing director for railway operations Chris Rayner added: “It’s great to see such a strong line up of experienced high-tech manufacturing and design talent.
“Together with the successful bidder, HS2 will deliver some of the world’s most advanced rolling stock, engineered to provide seamless, accessible, fast and reliable journeys.
Starting from 2026, our trains will be used by tens of thousands of people every day, transforming links across the Midlands and the North and providing much-needed extra capacity between Britain’s major cities.”
Today’s announcement follows the opening of the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham and Doncaster a few weeks ago.
It also comes after a tranche of major HS2 announcements in the summer, including its route, construction contract awards and the shortlist of companies competing for station design and master development contracts.
This huge step forward also comes amidst some bad press for HS2, as an MP this week accused former chief executive Simon Kirby of “defrauding taxpayers.”
This was after the company’s chief financial officer Steve Allen resigned over irregularities in HS2’s redundancy payments that were revealed in the summer.
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