Bombardier (
www.uk.bombardier.com)has won a £260 million contract from Transport for London (TfL) to build a new fleet of 45 London Overground trains at its facility in Derby.
Due to be introduced in 2018, they will operate on the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford routes, which became part of the TfL network in May.
Bombardier built the first fleet of Class 378 Capitalstars for London Overground after 2007, and now all 57 are being upgraded to five cars (having originally been built with three cars and then extended to four as passenger demand grew).
The new rolling stock will be similar to the original fleet, with walk-through interiors, air-conditioning and improved accessibility.
Mike Brown, managing director of London Rail, said: “These 45 new trains will significantly improve the comfort,
reliability and overall quality of train services for our customers.
“Some of the trains that we have inherited on these routes are over 30 years old and have not been in use for some time. We’re working hard to overhaul them and make them more reliable, until the new trains come into service from 2018.”