Rock Rail and Alstom to Deliver £370m Electric Train Fleet for North England Network
The UK government awarded Rock Rail a contract via Alstom to supply new battery-electric trains, targeting significant capacity upgrades across key northern routes starting in the early 2030s.
Rock Rail received a contract backed by Alstom to produce and deliver a fleet of battery-electric trains for Northern England. The agreement, worth £370 million, was secured following a major redundancy consultation that previously threatened 1,300 jobs at Alstom's Litchurch Lane factory. These new electric units will operate on sections of the rail network currently powered by diesel engines, eliminating emissions on those specific tracks. Transport for Britain confirmed the fleet aims to increase capacity by 30% on the TransPennine Route Upgrade, adding thousands of seats daily across the Pennines between 2031 and 2035. Service routes will connect major hubs including Liverpool Lime Street, Scarborough, Manchester Airport, Saltburn, Manchester Piccadilly, and Hull. The government stated journey times would shorten by up to 10 minutes for trips between Manchester and Leeds, and by up to 14 minutes for services from Manchester to York. Rock Rail intends to purchase the rolling stock and lease it to TransPennine Express. Alstom managing director UK described the deal as a landmark moment for British railways.
