UK’s first battery-electric main line trains arrive in 2034
Key Points
- Government backs around £1 billion order for 29 battery-electric TransPennine Express trains
- First battery-electric trains to run on a UK main line, built by Alstom in Derby from 2028
- Fleet enters service from winter 2034 on Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn routes
- Journey times cut by up to 10 minutes Manchester to Leeds and 14 minutes Manchester to York
- Deal supports over 350 jobs in Derby and around 6,000 across the UK supply chain
The government has backed an around £1 billion order for 29 battery-electric TransPennine Express trains, the first of their kind on a UK main line, with the fleet due to enter service from winter 2034.
The Department for Transport said Alstom will build the trains at its Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, with construction starting in 2028.
The Adessia Stream trains will run on battery power across sections of the route that have no overhead wires, replacing the diesel trains that currently operate those services.
The fleet will serve three TransPennine Express routes: Liverpool Lime Street to Scarborough, Manchester Airport to Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly to Hull.
Journey times will fall by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and by up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York, the department said.
The trains form part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which aims to lift capacity across the Pennines by 30% with thousands of extra seats a day by the early to mid-2030s.
The government first set out plans for up to 29 new TransPennine Express trains in December 2023, when it announced £3.9 billion of funding for the upgrade to replace the operator’s existing diesel fleet.
Rolling stock company Rock Rail will buy the trains and lease them to TransPennine Express.
Each train will have step-free boarding with no gap between the carriage and the platform, three dedicated wheelchair spaces, two accessible toilets, family areas, cycle and buggy storage, extra luggage space and onboard Wi-Fi.
The department said the order will support more than 350 jobs in Derby, alongside 40 apprentices and 40 students, with a further 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain and around £360 million for the wider economy.
Alstom’s Derby site has built trains since 1876 and is the largest rolling stock manufacturing site in the world outside China, it added.
“These 29 new trains will bring faster, more reliable journeys to the North, and thousands of British jobs for the next generation,” said Andy Burnham, Prime Minister.
“Passengers will be able to wave goodbye to overcrowded, delayed diesel trains and step onboard faster electric trains which are fit for the future,” said Heidi Alexander, Transport Secretary.
“This agreement is a landmark moment for Britain’s railway, and we couldn’t be prouder that the country’s first main line battery-electric trains will be designed and built in Britain,” said Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK at Alstom.
“Our customers will benefit from more seats and better accessibility, including level boarding,” said Chris Jackson, Managing Director at TransPennine Express.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade has so far spent more than £1 billion with local businesses and employs 5,000 people, with a target of 8,000 roles over the life of the programme, the department said.
