Think Railways

Bombardier Transportation has signed two contracts with Transport for London (TfL) to build and maintain 45 four-car new electric multiple units (EMUs). The first contract is a Manufacturing and Supply Agreement (MSA) covering the design, manufacture, commissioning and entry into service of 180 new vehicles, and the second is a 35-year Train Services Agreement (TSA) providing maintenance for the new vehicles.

Together the contracts are valued at approximately 358 million GBP (505 million euro, $558 million US). In addition to the base contracts, the contracts also include an option for up to 24 additional trains and another to extend the maintenance support for five-years.

Per Allmer, President, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Transportation, said, “These important contracts demonstrate TfL’s continued confidence in our ability to provide high quality transportation products and services. We look forward to not only delivering these new trains for TfL, but also providing ongoing maintenance and technical support.”

The new trains will have similar features to the existing London Overground fleet (also manufactured by Bombardier), including walk-through carriages, air-conditioning and improved accessibility. These next-generation AVENTRA trains will feature an innovative design with optimised performance, including reduced weight, energy consumption, maintenance costs and high reliability, providing substantial benefits to both TfL and its passengers traveling on key London Overground routes, including the newly acquired West Anglia Inner Metro Service. The vehicles will be built in Derby and this new contract will help to create hundreds of job opportunities in the Midlands area as well as more than 20 apprenticeships.

Bombardier will supply a 20-metre long version of its new AVENTRA EMU platform with 31 four-car trains going into operation on West Anglia routes from London Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford, and between Romford and Upminster (responsibility for which transferred to TfL in May 2015). The remaining 14 four-car trains will enter service on current London Overground routes which include Gospel Oak to Barking, due to be electrified by 2017, and Euston to Watford. The new trains are expected to enter into passenger service between December 2017 and October 2018.