Latest Rail News

16.05.16

Bombardier opens Crossrail testing facility in Derby

Bombardier will test and commission its Crossrail trains at a new facility in Derby, which formally opened on Friday.

The 10,000 square metre site has been built to support the production of 66 new Aventra nine-car class 345 EMUs.

The facility, built by Balfour Beatty, cost £12m and features four 250m train roads for testing the trains.

Richard Hunter, managing director of Bombardier Transportation UK, said: “This new £12 million facility is one of the biggest investments in the history of our Derby site and ‘V’ Shop (as the finished test facility will be known) will be a fundamental part of both our current projects and future train builds, enhancing our ability to deliver all the stages of a new train product from a single UK site.

“It increases our capacity to deliver high volume orders within short timescales, ensuring we meet the future requirements of the UK market.”

Patrick McLoughlin MP, the transport secretary, who opened the facility, said: “I am delighted to open this new testing and commissioning facility in Derby, which will ensure passengers benefit from cutting edge trains with improved capacity and comfort.”

New station designs for Crossrail, renamed the Elizabeth Line, were released last week.

Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an RTM columnist? If so, click here.

Comments

Andrew Gwilt   17/05/2016 at 20:27

Plus TfL London Overground's Class 710's may also be tested as they are also to be built unless they are to be tested at nearby Old Dalby test track. But its good that the Class 345's will be tested aswell being built before they are used on TfL Elizabeth Line in 2019 and TfL London Overground Class 710's to be in service from 2017-onwards.

Add your comment

related

Rail industry Focus

View all News

Comment

The challenge of completing Crossrail

05/07/2019The challenge of completing Crossrail

With a new plan now in place to deliver Crossrail, Hedley Ayres, National Audit Office manager, major projects and programmes, takes a look at ho... more >
Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

04/07/2019Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

The move to decarbonise the rail network involves shifting to cleaner modes of traction by 2050. David Clarke, technical director at the Railway ... more >

'the sleepers' blog

On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

29/06/2020On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

Following an independent audit, Sulzer’s Nottingham Service Centre has been accepted as part of the rail industry supplier approval scheme (RISAS). The accreditation reinforces the high-quality standards that are maintained by Sulzer’s... more >
read more blog posts from 'the sleeper' >

Interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24/06/2019Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he would not rule out his organisation issuing future r... more >
Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

08/05/2019Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

In answering the pressing questions of how current and future generations of managers can provide solutions to high-profile infrastructure projects across the UK, Pearson Business School, part of... more >