The Railway Magazine – July 2019

6•The Railway Magazine• July 2019

HS2 train contract bidders

reveal proposed designs

By Ben Jones

BIDDERS forthe£2.75billion HS
rolling stock contract unveiled their
proposed train designs in June.
Alstom, Bombardier/Hitachi,
CAF, Siemens andTalgo have all
submitted bids for the contract
to build and maintain at least 54
trains for phase one of the £56bn
project.
The contract is expected to be
awarded in 2020, with the first
trains being ready for testing in
2023 and full service from 2026.
Alstom is offering a‘classic
compatible’variant of its‘Avelia’
family, which is a development of
its provenTGV and AGV
high-speed trains.
The French company is also keen
to emphasise its UK credentials,
built up over 20 years working
with Class 390 trains on theWest
Coast Main Line.
Alstom says:“Our vision is
to make HS2 trains a timeless
design classic, with a passenger
experience that is as smooth, calm
and spacious as it is high-speed.”
Alstom’sTransportTechnology
Centre inWidnes is likely to play a
role in the assembly and delivery
of the trains if the company’s bid
is successful.
Seen by many as the
frontrunner, the Bombardier/
Hitachi bid benefits from
supporting two UK factories in
Derby and Newton Aycliffe.The
joint venture’s‘Great British’train
proposal promises to be“the most
advanced, customer-oriented
train ever to run in the UK”.

Pioneering
Hitachi is also highlighting its
high-speed credentials, having
played a pioneering role in Japan’s
world-renowned‘Shinkansen’
trains since the 1960s. Bombardier
also has international experience
from building HS trains for Italy,
Germany and China.
In 2015, the two companies
delivered the‘Frecciarossa’(Red
Arrow) ETR1000 forTrenitalia,
which operates at up to 225mph
in Italy, and is expected to start
work on the Milan to Paris route
in summer 2020.
Trenitalia recently ordered a

further 14 sets from Hitachi Rail

Italia/Bombardier.

CAF is proposing its

‘Oaris’platform to meet the

exacting requirements set by

HS2 Ltd.

CAF UK director Richard Garner

said:“ 'Oaris' has demonstrated its

capacity to operate at speeds over

360kph – with proven reliability,

comfort and safety. HS2’s ambition

is to design a transformational rail

system that is admired around the

world – CAF has the expertise to

make that vision a reality.”

If it wins the contract, CAF plans

to carry out much of the assembly

work at its new factory in Newport,

SouthWales.The company

currently provides design,

engineering, manufacturing,

assembly, testing and

maintenance services, employing

800 people across the UK, which

will increase to 1,000 by 2020.

It has extensive high-speed fleet

maintenance experience in Spain,

Turkey and Italy, where it provides

technical support for the ETR

high-speed fleet.

Talgo plans to build, rather than

assemble, the 54 trains at a new

factory in Longannet, Fife, if it wins

the HS2 contract.

The innovative Spanish train

builder plans to offer a UK version

of its‘Avril’product, which has

also been ordered by Spanish

national operator RENFE.

JonVeitch ofTalgo UK said:

“Talgo is proud to be associated

with this project. It has the

potential to transform mobility,

and make a significant impact in

many communities across the UK.

“It is the kind of opportunity

which societies can only take or

leave once in a century.

“We humbly believe thatTalgo’s

combination of experience and

adaptivity is the best option for

both train operating companies

and taxpayers.”

Finally, Siemens unveiled a

design inspired by its new‘Velaro

Novo’concept, which is the latest

development in a long series of

trains, including Deutsche Bahn’s

ICE3, Eurostar’s e320 (Class 374)

and similar trains operating in

Russia, Spain and China.

The trains would be assembled

at Siemens’proposed factory in

Goole if the bid is successful.

A spokesman for High Speed Rail

Industry Leaders, which represents

senior stakeholders in the project,

said:“We are pleased to see the

impressive designs released by

those bidding to deliver rolling

stock for HS2.

“These bids demonstrate the

depth of expertise in high-speed

rail and the commitment of

industry to delivering for the UK’s

network.”

The differing designs of train

for HS2 which have been

submitted:

1.Talgo's 'Avril UK' could be

built in Scotland.

2.Alstom 'Avelia', derived from

the company's AGV design.

3.CAF’s proposed‘Oaris’design.

4.Siemens’concept inspired by

its new‘Velaro Novo’concept.

5.The Hitachi/Bombardier

‘Great British’train.

1 2

3

4 5

POLITICIANS and business

leaders in the North of England

and the Midlands have

reiterated their support for

high-speed rail as an essential

tool to improve transport links

within and across their regions.

The support came in

response to comments from

several Conservative party

leadership candidates that the

HS2 and Northern Powerhouse

Rail (NPR) projects could be

reviewed or even cancelled by

the next Prime Minister.

Former Transport Secretary

and Chief Whip Sir Patrick

McLoughlin MP said:“HS

is a prime example of rail

being put at the heart of our

economic strategy.

Proud

“As Transport Secretary I was

proud to back HS2, and every

candidate running to be the

next Prime Minister should

back it as well. This is a crucial

project which is delivering jobs,

connectivity, and enhanced

capacity for the rail network.

Frankly, I think it would be mad

to consider scrapping it.”

A few days later, regional

leaders in the north of England

issued a unified call for HS2 to

be completed all the way to

the North and fully integrated

with NPR to achieve the

maximum economic impact.

Greater Manchester Mayor

Andy Burnham warned

Conservative party leadership

candidates that bringing

the future of HS2 into

question would be“politically

dangerous”.

Spending

Mr Burnham said:“The

north of England needs to be

at the front of the queue for

infrastructure spending for

the next 25 years. We are still

expected to have to choose

between HS2 and Northern

Powerhouse Rail. Why can’t we

have both?”

HS2 Minister Nusrat

Ghani MP confirmed the

Government is working closely

with Transport for the North

on proposals for Northern

Powerhouse Rail, and that HS

infrastructure will be critical for

the success of the scheme.

The minister said it is

“completely false”to say the

North cannot have both

projects.

RENEWED BACKING FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN THE NORTH AND MIDLANDS

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