Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract to deliver 27 new four-car trains for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to operate on the Gatwick Express.
The company will supply GTR with 108 of its latest Bombardier Electrostar family of electrical multiple units that will be designed and manufactured at its Derby facility.
This latest deal follows on from Bombardier’s announcement in July 2013 that it had won a contract to deliver 116 new air-conditioned carriages for GTR, which are scheduled to enter into service early next year.
Charles Horton, CEO of GTR and managing director of Southern, said that this was “great news” for its passengers and noted that, having taken over the operation of the Thameslink route in September, the company was already introducing new trains that will “transform passengers’ journeys” on its services between Bedford and Brighton.
Rail Minister, Claire Perry commented that these new “British built trains” would add a boost to the economy and help “safeguard” jobs at Bombardier’s Derby factory.
“As part of our long term economic plan, over £38bn is being invested in improving our railways over the next five years and it’s great to see companies like GTR investing in the service it provides for its customers,” the Minister concluded.
This is the latest in a series of contract wins and successful projects for Bombardier in London. On the Underground, Bombardier delivered the Victoria Line upgrade project on time and under budget, and is in the process of delivering new trains for the sub-surface lines, the Underground’s first to feature air-conditioning and walk through gangways.
In addition, Bombardier stated it has also delivered all the new rolling stock for the London Overground, with the service currently being extended from four to five-car trains, and will provide a maintenance service for those trains at Transport for London’s New Cross Gate depot.
Earlier this year, the 175th year of train manufacture in the city of Derby, Bombardier received the contract to deliver a flagship fleet of 65 new trains for the London Crossrail project. These high performance trains, derived from the latest Bombardier Aventra product platform and customised for Crossrail, are scheduled to be introduced in 2017.
