HS2 signs £2bn contract with Hitachi and Alstom for 54 trains 

HS2 signs £2bn contract with Hitachi and French manufacturer Alstom for 54 high-speed trains


HS2 has signed a £2billion contract with Hitachi and French manufacturer Alstom to build 54 high-speed trains for the controversial rail line.

The trains, which will travel at 225 mph and be the fastest made on British soil, will be manufactured at the Japanese multinational ’s plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and finished at Alstom’s sites in Crewe and Derby, supporting 2,500 jobs.

Each train will be around 660 ft long with an option to link two together to create a 1300 ft train with up to 1,100 seats.

Hitachi's HS2 trains, which will travel at 225 mph and be the fastest made on British soil, will be manufactured at the Japanese multinational ¿s plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

Hitachi’s HS2 trains, which will travel at 225 mph and be the fastest made on British soil, will be manufactured at the Japanese multinational ’s plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

The first one is expected to roll off the production line in 2027, with the first passengers to be carried between 2029 and 2033.

Built on the technology used in Japan’s Shinkansen ‘bullet train’, the project will aim to create some of the fastest, quietest and most energy-efficient trains in the world, serving destinations including Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, and London.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘This is another landmark step in the delivery of HS2 which will open up new employment and leisure opportunities for millions of people.’

source: dailymail.co.uk