Construction has officially begun at Alstom’s historic Litchurch Lane Works in Derby on the first of ten additional new trains destined for the Elizabeth line in London. The new fleet is being built to support increasing demand for the hugely popular service and aligns with the Government’s agenda for economic growth.
Since opening in 2022, the Elizabeth line has transformed travel in London, rapidly becoming the UK’s single busiest railway service, now carrying an average of 800,000 journeys each day.
Government Funding Backs UK Manufacturing
The new trains—ordered with over £220 million in UK Government funding—will allow Transport for London (TfL) to increase capacity on the existing line, boosting connections, driving the economy, and serving the future HS2 Old Oak Common station.
Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, visited Alstom’s Derby site on Monday, 27 October.
“Thanks to over £220 million in Government funding, TfL’s order for new Elizabeth line trains is a shining example of how public investment in our railways delivers for communities across the country, supporting more than 1,000 skilled jobs and ensuring London’s transport network keeps pace with growing demand.”
She added:
“This is a clear demonstration of our Plan for Change promise to build a modern, accessible and sustainable railway that drives economic growth, cuts journey times and brings countless opportunities to people both in the capital and beyond.”
The additional Class 345 Aventra electric multiple units (EMUs) are being built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works, which holds a unique status as the only UK facility that handles the end-to-end process of train manufacturing. The factory has been continuously building trains since the Midland Railway opened it in 1876.
Economic Impact Across the UK
The £220.5 million contract demonstrates how investment in London’s transport infrastructure supports economic growth across the entire country. The order is supporting almost 40 British companies and totals more than 1,000 employees in the supply chain.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Alstom, said:
“Our historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works are crucial to the country’s economic growth, being the only UK factory where you can design, engineer, build and test a train from scratch for both domestic and export markets. Therefore, not only will these new Aventra trains enable Transport for London to continue successfully operating the Elizabeth line as passenger demand grows, they continue to support high-value manufacturing and supply chain jobs in the East Midlands and across the UK.”
He added:
“We look forward to our new Elizabeth line trains joining the existing fleet, which are maintained by us around-the-clock at our state-of-the-art depot at Old Oak Common.”
David Shore, Managing Director at Time 24, a wiring supplier, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be awarded the contract to provide the wiring for the ten new nine-car Aventra trains Alstom are manufacturing in Derby for Transport for London. This comes at a time when the new rolling stock market in the UK had been quiet, and it has allowed us to create jobs and invest back in the business. We are proud to be involved in what has become the single busiest railway service in the UK – the Elizabeth line.”
TfL has a long-standing role as a national engine of growth, spending more than £12 billion with over 3,000 UK suppliers in the last two years, supporting more than £11 billion in total Gross Value Added and 100,000 full-time jobs each year.
Regeneration and Travel Benefits
A new Elizabeth line evaluation report has revealed the scale of the public’s embrace of the new railway and its positive impact on housebuilding and employment.
- An additional 71,000 trips are estimated to have been made across London’s transport network each weekday since the line opened.
- Customers have also benefitted from an 11% drop in step-free journey times for average public transport journeys.
Andy Lord, Commissioner at Transport for London, said:
“The start of production of ten new trains in Derby is testament to the popularity and success of the Elizabeth line and shows how it is driving growth well beyond London, boosting employment and powering industry across the UK. This new report also illustrates the extent to which the line is driving up public transport use in London, speeding up travel on the network and driving regeneration through homebuilding.”
The increased connectivity has made Elizabeth line stations prime locations for development. As of October 2024, 70,500 housing units are planned within one kilometre of the stations. Between 2022 and 2023, 125,000 new jobs were registered within the same distance.
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said:
“This is brilliant news for Alstom, Derby and the wider East Midlands, securing jobs for the future, rooted in our communities.”
Once complete, the ten new Class 345 Aventra trains will join the existing 70 nine-car fleet.
