Bombardier unveils billion pound design

Rail manufacturing giant Bombardier has unveiled the latest designs for its new Crossrail trains. The Bondholder company‘s designs showcase what Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, refers to as: 'the best of British design and engineering.'

Mr Johnson continues: 'It's fantastic to think that these sleek new trains will soon be transporting millions of people across our great city and beyond. They're feature packed, eye-catching machines that showcase the best of British design and engineering. They will add vital capacity to our rail network and will help to ensure our economy continues its onward journey full-steam ahead.

Bombardier was chosen by Transport for London to deliver the Crossrail trains in February last year, in a contract worth £1 billion. The contract covers the supply, delivery and maintenance of 65 new trains. Since then Bombardier has invested millions into its Derby site in preparation for production.

The new Crossrail trains will add an extra 10% capacity to London’s rail network and will provide space for up to 1,500 passengers. The trains will also offer full walk-through carriages, air conditioning and Wi-Fi and 4G as standard. The lightweight design of the carriages helps to ensure energy efficiency, with the new carriages using 30% less electricity than standard carriages.

At more than 200m in length, the trains are over one and a half times longer than the longest Tube train.

The trains will be rolled out for service in May 2017 and should be fully operational by 2019.  

The Rail Minister, Claire Penny, said: 'I'm delighted that these British-built trains have been designed with customers at their heart, with onboard facilities that are fit for a truly 21st Century rail link. the spacious layout and longer trains will provide a significant boost to London's rail capacity, meaning better journeys for passengers and transforming the way people travel between east and west. I look forward to seeing the first train off the Derby production line next year, where this contract is supporting hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships.'

Finally, Peter Doolin, Vice-President of Projects at Bombardier said: 'Bombardier is delighted to be working with TfL in designing, manufacturing and testing these iconic new trains for London – all done right here in the UK. The new Crossrail trains are based on our very latest Aventra product platform, which has proudly been designed and developed as a technology leading train for the UK. We look forward to continuing to work together with TfL on this flagship project to deliver these new trains for London.'