No 10 has announced the construction of a new fleet of 29 battery-powered trains, which are intended to bring faster and more reliable journeys to the north of England. The trains, to be run by TransPennine Express, are set to be built at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby starting in 2028.
The government states that the construction will support 350 local jobs in Derby and nearly 6,000 jobs across the UK. The new fleet will consist of Adessia Stream trains, a battery-powered model that is planned to be the first of its kind for long-distance mainline journeys in the UK when it enters service in 2034.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated the new trains are pitched to make journeys between major northern cities shorter and increase rail network capacity by 30% in the next decade. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also praised the announcement, highlighting that the trains are set to run without emissions even on non-electrified stretches of the network, and will feature accessible step-free boarding and onboard wifi.