TransPennine Express is set to receive 29 Alstom Adessia Stream BMUs as part of a package of contracts worth over GBP 1 billion. The trains will be built in Derby and will be able to operate with zero local emissions, including on non-electrified sections, with entry into service scheduled for winter 2034.
Alstom and the British operator TransPennine Express have signed contracts for a fleet of 29 BMUs, described as the first vehicles of this type intended for long-distance services on Britain’s main lines.
The total value of the package exceeds GBP 1 billion. Approximately GBP 800 million represents the order for the rolling stock, whilst around GBP 200 million is earmarked for maintenance contracts. The solution also includes the infrastructure required for charging the trains.
The new fleet will be built on the Adessia Stream platform, marking the first use of Alstom’s new family of trains on the UK market.
29 trains to be built in Derby
The trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane plant in Derby, one of the UK’s most important rail manufacturing facilities.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the first trains due to enter service in winter 2034.
According to the UK Government, the project will directly support over 350 jobs in Derby, alongside 40 apprenticeship places and 40 student placements. A further 6,000 jobs are expected to be supported across the UK supply chain, and the total economic impact is estimated at around GBP 360 million.
The first battery-powered trains for long-distance services
Alstom is presenting the new Adessia Stream as the first BMUs to operate on long-distance services on the British mainline network.
The technology will enable electric traction to be used even on sections where the infrastructure is not electrified, reducing reliance on diesel trains.
The contract is part of the major Transpennine Route Upgrade project, which is modernising rail links between the major cities of northern England.
The programme also aims to increase capacity by around 30 per cent, with thousands of additional seats available daily on routes across the Pennines by the early to mid-2030s.
Faster journeys between Manchester, Leeds and York
The new trains will be used on services between:
Liverpool Lime Street–Scarborough, Manchester Airport–Saltburn and Manchester Piccadilly–Hull.
Investments in infrastructure and rolling stock should also enable journey times to be reduced by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and by up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York.
Direct level access from the platform
The new fleet will also bring a number of improvements for passengers.
The Adessia platform used by TransPennine Express will allow level access at every door, reducing the height difference and the gap between the train and the platform. The solution is designed particularly for wheelchair users, passengers with pushchairs and those travelling with luggage.
Each train will have three dedicated spaces for wheelchair users, two accessible toilets, family areas and spaces for bicycles and pushchairs.
There will also be Wi-Fi and additional luggage space on board, and Alstom promises a quieter and more comfortable journey.
The trains will be purchased by Rock Rail
The 29 trains will not be purchased directly by TransPennine Express.
Rolling stock company Rock Rail will purchase the trains and lease them to the operator, in line with the model widely used in the British rail system.
In addition to the rolling stock, Alstom will provide maintenance services and charging infrastructure, making the agreement a comprehensive package for the introduction of the new technology.
For the French manufacturer, the contract also represents the first implementation of the Adessia platform in the UK, whilst for the British network it marks the transition to battery-powered trains on mainline long-distance services, at a time when many sections of the network in the north of England remain unelectrified.
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