Hitachi Rail Ltd has entered into a contract with
FirstGroup plc and
Angel Trains Ltd to lease 14 new, UK-manufactured, five-car class 80X Hitachi electric, battery electric or bi-mode trains — 70 cars in total — at a cost of around £500 million including maintenance, over a 10-year lease period. The trains will be manufactured by Hitachi Rail at its Newton Aycliffe site in County Durham, securing the skills base and jobs in the local area.
Furthermore, the new trains will enable FirstGroup to significantly expand its open-access portfolio and will be used on the newly announced London-Carmarthen route and to increase the number of cars on the existing Lumo and Hull Trains services on the East Coast Mainline. The agreement also contains an option for FirstGroup to lease an additional 13 five-car trains on the same terms if the Group’s open-access applications are granted by the Office of Rail and Road.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Newton Aycliffe at the end of last week (6 December) to celebrate the significant agreement for the Hitachi Rail factory creating certainty for the manufacturing skills base in the area, and the factory’s future.
Delivery of the new trains is expected to commence in late 2027. Open access rail operators are set up with solely private investment and take full commercial risk and opportunity. The successful open access model, which is supported by the Government and its independent regulator ORR, connects under-served places, helping to drive economic growth and providing additional capacity on core routes which can push a modal shift away from carbon-intensive travel.
FirstGroup CEO Graham Sutherland said: “The introduction of our new service between London and Carmarthen, and the extra capacity on Lumo and Hull Trains, will significantly increase our open access portfolio over the next few years, with further expansion possible should our recent applications be successful. The new trains, to be manufactured for us in County Durham by Hitachi, will support UK manufacturing and offer customers more choice as they consider affordable, environmentally friendly modes of travel in the future, and we are pleased to be taking them forward.”
Growth and innovationHe continued: “We know that growth and innovation are key for the future of the railway sector and are committed to working with the Government and all our partners to provide competitive, sustainable and improved services. Successful open access services can provide new connections, add capacity, support local businesses and suppliers, secure jobs and help to drive social mobility and future economic growth.”
Jim Brewin, chief director of UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, said: “This contract is a positive step forward, and just recognition for the hard work and patience of our teams across the Hitachi Rail UK business over recent years. We look forward to once again delivering for Hull Trains and Lumo passengers who will benefit further from our award-winning British-built trains.
“We owe a lot to the innovation and creativity shown by our customers Angel Trains and FirstGroup and are excited to work in collaboration to deliver on our combined ambitions. Equally, we owe a debt of thanks to the Northeast Mayor Kim McGuiness and other local MPs who have worked tirelessly in support of this private sector investment.”
Malcolm Brown, Angel Trains CEO, said: “This is a major milestone for the UK rail industry. In less than three months we have delivered around £250 million of investment that will bring millions more passengers onto the rail network, connect key regional centres across the UK, secure crucial manufacturing jobs and breathe new life into local economies.”
He concluded: “This is the first announcement of its kind in six years but our ambitions don’t stop here - this milestone represents the beginning of a new and exciting journey, which will see Angel Trains play a leading role in the ‘green’ transition of our rail infrastructure.”