£1 billion Crossrail rolling stock and depot contract to be awarded to Bombardier

Bombardier has confirmed that the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby

TfL will run Crossrail as part of its integrated transport services for London, including ticketing and customer travel information.

Bombardier has confirmed that the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby. This contract will support 760 UK manufacturing jobs plus 80 apprenticeships. An estimated 74% of contract spend will remain in the UK economy.

The construction of the maintenance depot at Old Oak Common will support 244 jobs, plus 16 apprenticeships. When fully operational the depot will support 80 jobs to maintain the new fleet of trains.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The Crossrail project is now rolling on full-steam ahead. The manufacture of these new trains will not only revolutionise rail travel in London, they will deliver jobs and economic growth in their birthplace in Derby and across the UK. With a firm on board to deliver a fleet of 21st century trains and the tunnelling more than halfway complete, we’re on track to deliver a truly world-class railway for the capital.”

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “This announcement will mean state of the art trains providing quick, comfortable journeys for the millions of people Crossrail will serve. It is also great news for British manufacturing and for Derbyshire, where Bombardier will support 760 new jobs and 80 apprenticeships.”

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, London’s Transport Commissioner said: “Crossrail is already generating jobs in London and the UK. When it opens it will continue to provide jobs and the growth it will bring will boost the whole economy. Crossrail is a fantastic example of the widespread benefits that sustained investment in transport infrastructure brings.”

Andrew Wolstenholme Chief Executive of Crossrail said: “Crossrail will transform rail services in London and the south-east. Procurement of the rolling stock and depot is just one more step in delivering this new railway and making it a reality for millions of passengers.”

Crossrail Limited has conducted this procurement in a fair, objective and transparent manner and in full compliance with the regulatory framework.

London’s population is set to grow from 8.4 million today to around 10 million by 2030. Government, the Mayor of London and Transport for London are investing in Crossrail and other transport infrastructure to support access to jobs, education, housing and to boost economic growth.

Crossrail will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10% connecting Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is connecting people and places, providing faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.

In addition to the jobs created through the rolling stock and depot contract it is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs right around the UK. Three out of 5 businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half are small and medium sized companies (SMEs).

Each Crossrail train is 200 metres long and able to carry up to 1,500 passengers. Key features of the new high-capacity Crossrail trains include air conditioning and inter-connecting walk-through carriages. On-train passenger information systems will deliver real-time travel information to allow passengers to plan their onward journeys.

The new lightweight Crossrail trains will be built with an emphasis on energy efficiency and use of intelligent on-train energy management systems.

All bidders were asked to set out how they would engage with their wider supply chains and maximise opportunities for SMEs. Bombardier will target at least 25% of the value of this contract going to SMEs. Bidders were required to manage the project through a London-based office and to commit to have plans to deliver job and training opportunities, including apprenticeships.

TfL will introduce the new trains from May 2017, with the fleet progressively introduced to the existing rail network well in advance of services commencing through Crossrail’s central section in December 2018.

Background

Bids were evaluated by Crossrail Limited. A pre-determined process was followed and the tender documents set out the criteria used to select the successful bidder with a recommendation made to Crossrail’s sponsors – Department for Transport and Transport for London.

The overarching aim of the procurement is to obtain the right train at the best price and it is on this basis that Bombardier has been selected.

All bidders remain bound by confidentiality arrangements and are unable to release information relating to their bids.

Bombardier will supply 65 trains for Crossrail services. Each Crossrail train will be around 200 metres long, made up of 9 carriages. The contract includes options for 18 additional trains. New Crossrail rolling stock will be introduced between Shenfield and Liverpool Street (mainline platforms) in May 2017.

An OJEU notice for this procurement was published in December 2010. On 12 August 2013, revised bids were received for the contract from Bombardier Transportation UK Limited, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF), and Hitachi Rail Europe Limited.

Bombardier and all of its suppliers are committed to paying their London-based employees the London Living Wage which is a requirement of all Transport for London and Crossrail Limited contracts. To maximise opportunities for local recruitment, Bombardier will advertise all new jobs using the Crossrail Jobs Brokerage service which is linked to JobCentre Plus.

Transport for London will award the contract for the operation of Crossrail services at the end of 2014. The successful train operator will start running the first services from May 2015 between Liverpool Street (mainline platforms) and Shenfield, taking over the stopping services currently operated by Greater Anglia.

The current planning assumption is that new Crossrail trains will be introduced to run Crossrail services as follows:

• Liverpool Street to Shenfield – May 2017
• Heathrow to Paddington (mainline platforms) – May 2018 (when the Crossrail concession takes over the Heathrow Connect service)
• Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Abbey Wood – December 2018
• Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Shenfield – May 2019
• Full through service (including services to Maidenhead) – December 2019

In 2011 the class number 345 was officially registered with the National Rolling Stock Library in Nottingham for use by the new Crossrail trains.

About Crossrail

Crossrail will run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It will bring an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes commuting distance of London’s key business districts.

When Crossrail opens it will increase London’s rail-based transport network capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration across the capital, helping to secure London’s position as a world leading financial centre, and cutting journey times across the city.

Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.