Hitachi Rail has won a £350m contract to build trains for the new franchise operating on the West Coast Main Line.
The company will build 23 new intercity trains for First Trenitalia, who picked the firm to build the carriages for its Avanti West Coast rail service.
In total Hitachi will build and maintain 135 carriages from its factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which has been fighting to win work after a number of its contracts came to an end.
Although the Avanti franchise is set to begin on December 8, the new trains will not be introduced until 2022.
Commenting on what it means for local jobs in the region, a spokesman for Hitachi said: “This new order, which will be built at our factory in the North East, is another vote of confidence in the success of our trains. This contract award is welcome news for our Newton Aycliffe factory and testament to the hard work of its employees. Hitachi continues to bid for new projects, both within the 海角视频 and abroad.”
The trains will be a mix of 10 seven-carriage electric trains and 13 five-carriage bi-mode trains, which are able to switch between electric and diesel power.
The electric trains will operate between London, the West Midlands and Liverpool. Meanwhile the bi-mode trains will travel London to North Wales.
Andrew Barr, group CEO, Hitachi Rail, said: “Based on Japanese bullet train technology, our new trains have proven to be the modern intercity train of choice, increasing passenger satisfaction wherever they run.
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"We’re delighted to continue our excellent relationship with FirstGroup and Trenitalia, for whom we've delivered hundreds of trains across Italy and the 海角视频. This new order, which will be built at our factory in the North East, is another vote of confidence in the success of our trains, which are both green and reliable.”
The new trains will be capable of traveling at 125mph, drawing on their Japanese bullet train heritage. The trains also promise to be quieter than current trains and will have better and more reliable wi-fi, plug sockets, wireless charging devices and USB slots.
The trains will also have a new real-time passenger information system that can advise customers about connecting rail services.
Each of the seven-car services will be able to seat 453 passengers, while the five-care service will have 301 seats. Both represent more seats than the existing Class 221 Voyager trains, which only have 258 seats.
Ernesto Sicilia, Trenitalia 海角视频 managing director, said: “We are pleased to announce this new fleet which highlights our commitment to innovation and desire to constantly improve our services.
"We are delighted to provide more efficient and modern trains which are sustainable and environmentally friendly, reducing CO2 emissions by 61%, including new comfortable seats for an improved customer experience.”
The new trains are being financed through Rock Rail West Coast, a joint venture between Rock Rail and Aberdeen Standard Investments. Rock Rail West Coast will own the trains and lease them to First Trenitalia.
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Mark Swindell, chief executive officer at Rock Rail and director of Rock Rail West Coast, said: “Rock Rail is delighted to be working with First Trenitalia and Hitachi and our institutional investor partners to bring these trains to the region and deliver step changes in the travelling experience for so many rail passengers across the country.
“This new state-of-the-art Hitachi fleet represents Rock Rail and Aberdeen Standard Investments’ fourth new rolling stock deal in the 海角视频, and across all deals combined sees investment by the institutional investor sector of just under £2.5 billion in the 海角视频 railway. This long term, highly competitive funding enables significantly enhanced value for money to rail passengers and tax payers over the life of the trains, along with significant improvements in passenger, environmental and operational features.”