Alstom to build new battery-electric train fleet

Work to create the UK's first battery-electric trains for long-distance main line services is set to begin in 2028, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The 29 new Adessia Stream trains are expected to enter service in 2034 and will be built at Alstom's Litchurch Lane factory in Derby.

The government said the investment of almost £1bn would help support more than 350 jobs at Alstom and a further 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the new trains would deliver "faster, more reliable journeys to the north and thousands of British jobs for the next generation".

He added: "I've lost count of the number of times someone has stopped me to tell me about the train that never came.

"And when that happens, it means missed shifts, missed appointments, and missed opportunities. Today, that starts to change."

The DfT said the trains would help deliver the Transpennine Route Upgrade's aim to boost capacity by 30%, with thousands of additional seats a day across the Pennines by the early to mid-2030s.

They will run between key destinations across the north including Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, Manchester Airport and Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly and Hull.