Derby-based train maker Bombardier has secured a £73 million order from Transport for London (TfL) for five more Bombardier Aventra trains; these will be used on the capital’s new Elizabeth line, increasing the total order to 70 trains (
www.bombardier.com).
The agreement also includes an expansion to the existing Train Services Agreement to cover the new trains.
Mark Wild, TfL’s managing director for London Underground and the Elizabeth line, said: “The opening of the Elizabeth line in December will redefine transport in London, with journeys made easier and trains passing through new tunnels beneath central London to new stations.
The additional trains will allow us to serve all the terminals at Heathrow and provide an increased frequency when the line is fully open.”
They will comprise five nine-car units; they will boost capacity in the central section of the new Elizabeth line and enhance services to Reading and Heathrow Terminal 5.
Each train will accommodate up to 1,500 passengers and feature air-conditioned interconnecting walk-through carriages; they have also been designed with an emphasis on energy efficiency and ‘intelligent’ on-train energy management systems.
The trains incorporate advanced condition-based maintenance systems, including the Bombardier Orbita predictive-maintenance facility and automated vehicle inspection system.
These extra trains will be added to the 585 carriages already in production in Derby for the Elizabeth line; they are scheduled to enter service by the end of 2019.
Jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfL, the Elizabeth line is the largest infrastructure project of its kind in Europe and is now in its final stages.
When complete, it will carry over 200 million passengers per year and will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10%.