Nexus has unveiled Swiss manufacturer Stadler as its successful bidder for a £362m contract to build new trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet.
Transport bosses have been in discussions with three remaining firms on the shortlist over which one will win the contract to carry out a much-needed update to the ageing network.
Stadler, currently delivering new trains for Glasgow and Liverpool, has been chosen by Nexus after an 18-month worldwide search for the best manufacturing partner to build 42 new trains, to be delivered up to 2024.
Transport and civic leaders – including Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP and Coun Martin Gannon, the leader of Gateshead Council and Chair of the Joint Transport Committee for North East England – gathered at a special event at PROTO at the Baltic Quays in Gateshead to hear the announcement.
Last summer it was confirmed that Spanish firm CAF, Swiss manufacturer Stadler and Japanese Hitachi, which has its manufacturing centre in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, had made the shortlist for the multimillion-pound contract.
Stadler will work with more than 30 new supply chain partners in the 海角视频 advanced manufacturing, technology and construction sectors, half of them in North East, creating and securing hundreds of skilled jobs.
Stadler will also build and run a £70m new maintenance facility at Metro’s current depot site in South Gosforth, Newcastle, as part of the deal, creating scores more jobs in construction and employing around 100 people directly.
The total value of the partnership between Nexus and Stadler, which will include decommissioning of the existing Metro fleet, could rise to £700m over 35 years,
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Nexus and Stadler have unveiled the fully-realised design for new Metro trains, based on the ideas and suggestions of more than 3,000 passengers.
The bidding process was criticised last year following reports Hitachi had been ruled out early in the process, but Nexus insisted the negotiation and selection process was still ongoing.
The Stadler trains will be able to take more passengers than the existing rolling stock, and will include a raft of new features.
Features include wifi, charging points, air conditioning and a step-change in accessibility.
They will have an automatic sliding step at every door of the new trains, making travel easier for Metro’s 50,000 wheelchair passengers as well as people with children’s buggies, luggage or bicycles.
The trains will cut Metro’s high voltage power consumption by 30% while providing 15 times better reliability than the current fleet
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “The DfT’s £337m investment heralds a new era for the Tyne and Wear Metro, providing passengers with greener, more reliable, and more comfortable journeys.
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“Upgrading the Metro fleet will boost our economy, improve journeys for passengers and underlines our determination to level up opportunity and connectivity across the country.”
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Coun Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council and Chair of the Joint Transport Committee for North East England, said: “We have a bold vision for transport in North East England, and a world-class Metro system is the key to unlocking this transformation.
“We have secured Government investment in our region for new Metro trains which will meet the needs of our people for decades to come, secure hundreds of jobs and help us tackle the climate emergency.
“These new trains will be rooted in our region – they are designed based what more than 3,000 passengers told us what they wanted from their daily journey.”
Tobyn Hughes, the managing director of Nexus, the public body which owns and operates Metro, said: “Our passengers expect the best in the world when they travel, and that is what they will get from our new trains.
“Stadler has an excellent track record building new trains for cities and regions across the world. The company will put in place new supply chains here in North East England and the 海角视频 securing local jobs.
“We asked for the best trains for the best price – based on what local people said they wanted to see, providing excellent reliability for years to come, transforming the passenger experience and delivering huge energy savings.
“Stadler has delivered on all fronts, and we look forward to working with our new partner and the extensive 海角视频 supply chain which will support them not just to build new trains but maintain them over the next 35 years.”
Stadler director of sales, Ansgar Brockmeyer said: “The contract with Nexus represents an important milestone for Stadler in Great Britain. After Glasgow and Liverpool, this is the third metro operator to opt for a Stadler vehicle. We look forward to working with Nexus and our suppliers in North East England.”