Newton Aycliffe-based Hitachi
Rail Europe Ltd (HRE) (www.hitachirail-eu.com) and Hull-

based Spencer Group (www.thespencergroup.co.uk) have formed a partnership to bid for a £500 million contract to build new trains and a depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

From 2022, the existing metro fleet will be replaced by brand new trains, which will maintained at a new depot in Gosforth.

HRE has invested over £100 million in its train factory in Newton Aycliffe and set up a supply chain to source 70% of parts from within a 40-mile radius of the factory.

Engineering specialist Spencer Group, which focuses on the energy, rail, bridge, marine and highways sectors, has delivered projects worth more than £85 million in the North East.

These include extensive work at Heaton Depot to upgrade the facility for the arrival of Hitachi’s new intercity trains, as well as a biomass-handling facility at the Port of Tyne.

The two firms have teamed up before, when Spencer Group upgraded East Coast main-line rail depots ready for the HRE trains that will soon connect Newcastle to London, Scotland, Manchester and Liverpool.

Ross Nagle, chief operating officer for manufacturing at HRE, said: “Our train-building team in the North East is delivering world-class trains that are already carrying millions of passengers around the country.

“We are now working hard to secure more orders, so our investment in the North East economy will continue to be felt across the region — and by our local suppliers.”