Scotland to benefit from new "state-of-the-art" trains
A new £2.7 billion deal to build new state-of-the-art trains has been announced by Westminster which will cut journey times in Scotland.
Nearly 500 new carriages will be delivered to boost passenger services between London and Scotland.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin heralded “the transformation of rail travel on the key intercity route between London and Scotland”.
He said: “It’s taken a major step forward with funding secured to build a new fleet of state-of-the-art trains.”
Under the new £2.7 billion contract nearly 500 new carriages will be manufactured at Hitachi Rail Europe’s purpose-built factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in a deal that will create hundreds of local jobs.
The Class 800 trains will start running on the East Coast Main Line from 2018 as part of the government’s £5.7 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP).
The new trains will provide significant benefits to passengers, with 19 per cent more seats on each train, reduced journey times between London, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh by up to 15 minutes, and improved reliability.
Mr McLoughlin said: “We are building a world class rail system and the Intercity Express Programme is a key part of that.
“These new trains will transform rail travel between many of the great towns and cities of England and Scotland.
"This deal is further proof that our long-term economic plans are on track, creating jobs and breathing new life into the UK’s train-building industry.”
The Intercity Express Programme will see a total of 866 carriages manufactured at Newton Aycliffe for use on the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines, creating 730 jobs.
