Hitachi Newton Aycliffe

Last updated

Hitachi Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Facility exterior.jpg
Newton Aycliffe Rail Vehicle Assembly Facility exterior
Durham UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location in County Durham
Hitachi Newton Aycliffe
Built3 September 2015 (2015-09-03)
Location Newton Aycliffe
Coordinates 54°35′33″N1°35′15″W / 54.5925°N 1.5875°W / 54.5925; -1.5875
Industry Rolling stock assembly
Products Class 385
Class 800
Class 801
Class 802
Class 803
Class 805
Class 807
Class 810
Employees1,000 (2017)
700 (2020)
Owner(s) Hitachi
David Cameron at the opening of Hitachi Newton Aycliffe David Cameron 2015-09-03 001.jpg
David Cameron at the opening of Hitachi Newton Aycliffe

Hitachi Newton Aycliffe (also known as Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility [1] ) is a railway rolling stock assembly plant owned by Hitachi Rail Europe, situated in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in the North East of England.

Contents

The Newton Aycliffe facility was created as a result of the Agility Trains consortium being selected to produce high speed trains for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) in 2009. During 2011, Hitachi announced its selection of the site and construction work commenced two years later. The 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft) factory, which was officially opened on 3 September 2015, was completed at a cost of £82 million. Initially, the facility only performed assembly, using components that were produced elsewhere to complete trains, and no actual manufacturing operations took place. However, some manufacturing activities have been performed at Newton Aycliffe for later-built trains.

Originally, the factory assembled the Class 800 and Class 802 trainsets for the IEP. However, Hitachi subsequently secured further orders, such as to produce Class 385 EMUs for the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme, Class 802s for TransPennine Express, and a fleet of 165 vehicles for East Midlands Railway. By 2020, the plant reportedly employed around 700 people, and was engaged in building the Classes 803, 805, 807 and 810 train sets. In December 2021, it was announced that the rolling stock for the HS2 line, would be produced as a joint venture between Hitachi and Alstom, and that part of the manufacturing for this order would take place at Newtown Aycliffe. During the mid 2020s, there has been increasingly speculation that, without further orders, the factory will be permanently closed before the end of the decade.

History

Origins and construction

In 2005, the Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom decided to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 fleet on both the Great Western Main Line and East Coast Main Line, launching the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) to this end. [2] [3] [4] During June 2008, three companies, these being the British infrastructure specialist John Laing Group, the Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi and the British investment firm Barclays Private Equity, created the Agility Trains consortium for the purpose of jointly bidding for the contract to design, manufacture, and maintain a fleet of long-distance trains for the IEP. [5] [6]

On 12 February 2009, the Government announced that Agility Trains had been selected as the preferred bidder for the contract, with the Siemens-Bombardier consortia as reserve bidders – the value of the contract was then estimated at £7.5bn, including replacements for both Intercity 125 and 225 trains. [7] In 2011, Hitachi chose the site of its British factory at developer Merchant Place Developments' Amazon Park (later renamed Merchant Park mid 2013. [8] ) site in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, [9] [10] close to Heighington railway station and adjacent to the Tees Valley Line. [note 1] Hitachi announced its intention to proceed with construction of the facility in July 2012, after financial closure was achieved for the part of the train order that concerned the GWML. [11] This would be the first factory that Hitachi had built in Europe. [12]

On 1 November 2013, contract for the construction of the £82M 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft) factory was awarded to Shepherd Group on 1 November 2013. [13] [14] Construction of the factory was scheduled to start in 2013, with train production beginning in 2015, [15] and the plant reaching full production capacity in 2016. [11] Erection of the frame of the factory was complete by June 2014, [16] with an official topping out ceremony held in October 2014. [17]

Opening and activities

On 3 September 2015, the factory was officially opened in the presence of Hiroaki Nakanishi (Hitachi), Patrick McLoughlin (MP), Claire Perry (MP), George Osborne (MP), David Cameron (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and 500 guests.. [18] The facility created 420 jobs, and aimed to employ more than 700 jobs at maximum capacity. It was reported that it received over 16,000 job applications, in an area where the Teesside Steelworks recently closed down with a loss of 3,000 jobs. Upon its opening, no actual manufacturing operations took place at the facility; it instead assembled components that had been built elsewhere into completed trains. Within two years of opening, in excess of 1,000 employees were working at the site. [19] [20]

During January 2016, it was announced that Hitachi's successful tender for the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme consisting of new Class 385s would be primarily assembled at Newton Aycliffe, and as part of FirstGroup's successful tender for the TransPennine Express franchise, it was announced in March 2016 that new Class 802 rolling stock would be assembled at Newton Aycliffe. [21] [22] It was stated by Hiroaki Nakanishi that a UK vote to leave the European Union would result in a scaling back of investment in Newton Aycliffe, a comment which was echoed by local Labour politician, and backer of Britain Stronger in Europe, Phil Wilson. [23]

In March 2019, Lumo ordered five AT300 trains for its services on the East Coast Main Line. The five units were built at Newton Aycliffe and maintained by Hitachi for ten years as part of the £100 million deal. [24] When this order was announced, Hitachi stated that the plant needed new orders especially after it had lost out on the New Tube for London contract with London Underground to rival firm Siemens. The company said that it would be bidding for a proposed bi-mode fleet for the East Midlands franchise and the replacement trains for the Nexus contract on the Tyne and Wear Metro. [25]

In July 2019, it was confirmed that Hitachi would build a fleet of 165 vehicles for East Midlands Railway. These would be marshalled into five car trains and be of a bi-mode design with four diesel engines per five car train. Due to the infrastructure restraints on the Midland Main Line, the vehicles will be 24 metres (79 ft) long, 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) shorter than the Class 800/801/802 carriages from the IEP. The project was listed as being worth £400 million. [26]

In late 2019, a new order for 23 units from the A-Train family was announced for the Avanti West Coast franchise. The order, nominally worth over £350 million, is for 13 five car bi-mode units, and 10 seven car electric trains. The seven car units will have a similar capacity to the nine car Class 390 Pendolino trains as each vehicle will be 26 metres (85 ft) long. The new units are intended to replace the 20 strong fleet of Class 221 Super Voyager stock used on the West Coast franchise. [27]

By 2020, the plant reportedly employed around 700 people, and was engaged in assembling/building the Classes 803, 805, 807 and 810. [28] These train orders will see the factory in business until 2023, when the final unit is due to be delivered. [29] However, in December 2021, it was announced that a joint venture between Hitachi and Alstom had won the contract to build 54 trains for the High Speed 2 programme. The rolling stock would be constructed at the Hitachi plant and Alstom plants in Crewe and Derby. [30] However, questions over the future of this order have been raised. [31]

During December 2023, Hitachi opted to write down the value of the Newton Aycliffe plant by £64.8m, raising concerns over its future, as well as that of the wider British rail manufacturing sector; the company publicly emphasized that this decision did not directly threaten the future of the plant and that its production capable remained available for further rolling stock orders if they are placed. [32] In April 2024, a company spokesperson remarked that closure would be inevitable if new orders aren't forthcoming to keep the site active; it was also reported that redundancies at the facilities may commence as soon as June. [33] [34]

Site

The factory covers over 31.5 acres of land with a building footprint of 475,000 sq ft (44,000 m2). [35] It can assemble a maximum of 35 vehicles a month. The site is situated close to where George Stephenson assembled Locomotion No. 1, the first locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line. [36]

New trains outside Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe facility; Class 385s and Class 800/3s are in the yard, with a Class 08 shunter in attendance to carry out yard movements. New trains outside Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe facility.jpg
New trains outside Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe facility; Class 385s and Class 800/3s are in the yard, with a Class 08 shunter in attendance to carry out yard movements.

Classes

The following classes have been assembled at the plant;

Notes

  1. ↑ 54°35′39″N1°35′19″W / 54.59412°N 1.588495°W – location of the Hitachi factory, Amazon Park / Merchant Park, Newton Aycliffe.

Related Research Articles

Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Bombardier Transportation had many regional offices, production and development facilities worldwide. It produced a wide range of products including passenger rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, propulsion and controls. In February 2020, the company had 36,000 employees, and 63 manufacturing and engineering locations around the world. Formerly a division of Bombardier Inc., the company was acquired by French manufacturer Alstom on 29 January 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley line</span> Railway route, in Northern England

The Tees Valley Line is a rail route, in Northern England, following part of the original Stockton and Darlington Railway route of 1825. The line covers a distance of 38 miles (61 km), and connects Bishop Auckland to Saltburn via Darlington, Middlesbrough and 14 other stations in the Teesdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heighington railway station</span> Railway station in County Durham, England

Heighington is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 5 miles 62 chains (9.3 km) north-west of Darlington, serves the villages of Aycliffe and Heighington in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pole Depot</span> Railway depot in London

North Pole depot is a railway and maintenance depot built for Great Western Railway's AT300 units from the Hitachi A-train family. Located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, the depot was partially redeveloped by Agility Trains from 2013 as a maintenance site when they were awarded the Intercity Express Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eversholt Rail Group</span>

Eversholt Rail Group is a British rolling stock company (ROSCO). Together with Angel Trains and Porterbrook, it is one of the three original ROSCOs created as a result of the privatisation of British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derby Litchurch Lane Works</span> Railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England

Derby Litchurch Lane Works, formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It is presently owned by the multinational transportation manufacturer Alstom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intercity Express Programme</span> Deployment of Hitachi trains on the British rail network

The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) was an initiative of the Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom to procure new trains to replace the InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 fleets on the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line. These new trains were designed and produced by Hitachi as part of their A-train family, classified as Class 800 electro-diesel units and Class 801 electric multiple units. Hitachi categorises the units as ta part of the AT300 family and has referred to them as the Hitachi Super Express Train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agility Trains</span> British railway company

Agility Trains is a consortium that presently comprised the Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi, multinational insurance and investment company Axa UK, and the infrastructure fund GLIL Infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitachi A-train</span> Family of rail rolling stock manufactured by Hitachi

The Hitachi A-train is a family of rail rolling stock built and designed by Hitachi Rail using a common base and construction techniques. The stock is designed to facilitate a number of product life-cycle improvements including ease of manufacture, increased energy efficiency, and recyclability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 800</span> Bi-mode multiple unit train

The British Rail Class 800, branded as the Intercity Express Train (IET) by Great Western Railway (GWR) and Azuma by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a type of bi-mode multiple unit train built by Hitachi Rail for GWR and LNER. The type uses electric motors powered from overhead electric wires for traction, but also has diesel generators to enable trains to operate on unelectrified track. It is a part of the Hitachi AT300 product family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 801</span> Bi-mode multiple unit train

The British Rail Class 801 Azuma is a type of electric multiple unit (EMU) built by Hitachi Rail for London North Eastern Railway. The units have been built since 2017 at Hitachi's Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility and have been used on services on the East Coast Main Line since 16 September 2019. As part of its production, the Class 801 units were ordered as part of the Intercity Express Programme and are in the Hitachi AT300 product family, alongside the closely related Class 800 units. LNER have branded the units as the Azuma, just like on their Class 800 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Gifford depot</span> Train maintenance facility in South West England

Stoke Gifford depot is a railway depot built for AT300 units from the Hitachi A-train procured under the Intercity Express Programme. The depot is situated between Filton and Stoke Gifford at a junction intersection of the Cross Country Route, South Wales Main Line and the Filton to Avonmouth Docks line. It is operated by Agility Trains as part of its contract to maintain the Class 800 fleet operated by Great Western Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doncaster Carr rail depot</span>

Doncaster Carr rail depot is a railway vehicle maintenance depot located alongside the East Coast Main Line in Doncaster, England. It is presently operated by Hitachi as part of their contract to maintain the AT300 units for London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 802</span> British bi-mode multiple unit

The British Rail Class 802 is a type of high-speed bi-mode multiple-unit passenger train designed and produced by the Japanese manufacturer Hitachi Rail. It has been operated by Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express, and Hull Trains; each of these train operating companies has given its own units a unique brand: Great Western Railway's units are branded Intercity Express Trains (IETs), TransPennine Express units are branded Nova 1s and Hull Trains' units are branded Paragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 385</span> Fleet of 70 electric multiple unit trains operated in Scotland

The British Rail Class 385 AT200 is a type of electric multiple unit built by Hitachi Rail for Abellio ScotRail. A total of 70 units have been built, divided into 46 three-car and 24 four-car sets. Based on the design of the Hitachi A-train, they are part of the Hitachi AT200 product family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siemens Goole</span> Future rolling stock factory in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Siemens Goole is a train factory located in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Siemens Mobility assessed several sites in the United Kingdom before settling on Goole with an intent to build the plant if it were successful in gaining orders for new rolling stock. After a June 2018 announcement that Siemens had won the bid to build 94 London Underground New Tube for London trains for the Piccadilly line of the London Underground, Siemens confirmed it would go ahead with building the factory, though this was then subject to further delays as other rolling stock companies objected to Siemens being given the contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 803</span> British electric multiple unit

The British Rail Class 803 AT300 is a type of electric multiple unit built by Japanese rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi Rail for open-access operator Lumo. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, a total of five units comprising five cars have been produced. The class is used to operate passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 805</span> Hitachi bi-mode train

The British Rail Class 805 AT300 is a type of bi-mode multiple unit which is being built by Hitachi Rail for Avanti West Coast. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, 13 five-car units are being built to replace Class 221s on services between London Euston, Birmingham New Street and stations on the North Wales Coast lines. Their introduction is intended to allow the elimination of long-distance diesel working on electrified routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 807</span> Hitachi electric train

The British Rail Class 807 AT300 is a type of electric multiple unit being built by Hitachi Rail for train operator Avanti West Coast. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, a total of 10 seven-car units will be produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HS2 rolling stock</span> Trains for the British High Speed 2 rail line

The HS2 rolling stock are trains for the under-construction High Speed 2 (HS2) high-speed rail line in the United Kingdom.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Our Locations". hitachirail-eu.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. ↑ Foster 2010, p. 3, Executive Summary - Background and timeline.
  3. ↑ "IEP - Intercity Express Programme". European Investment Bank. 21 January 2008.
  4. ↑ "OJ/S S48 09/03/2007 59536-2007-EN, UK-London: passenger transport by railway 2007/S 48-059536" (PDF). Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union.
  5. ↑ "New train fleet 'to boost jobs'". BBC News. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  6. ↑ Department for Transport (12 February 2009). "Passengers and economy to benefit from biggest investment in trains for a generation". Central Office of Information . Retrieved 12 February 2009.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Agility Trains to supply Super Express fleet". Railway Gazette International. London, UK. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Amazon Park". Archived from the original on 24 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Hitachi go-ahead 'a massive boost for the North East'" (PDF) (Press release). Merchant Place Developments. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "Agility Trains Confirm Intercity Express Programme Contract" (PDF) (Press release). Agility Trains. 1 March 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Intercity Express Programme Financial Close Paves Way for Hitachi Investment in Rail Manufacturing and Assembly Plant" (Press release). Hitachi via Japan Corporate News Network. 25 July 2012.
  12. ↑ "Train manufacture starts at Hitachi Newton Aycliffe plant". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Knowlson, Laura (1 November 2013). "Shepherd to build £82 million train factory". The Press. York.
  14. ↑ Hitachi Rail Europe Manufacturing Plant - Start of Construction Phase Ceremony with Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP and Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP (Press release), Hitachi, 1 November 2013
  15. ↑ "£4.5 billion investment in new trains creates new jobs" (Press release). Department for Transport. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  16. ↑ "Hitachi Rail Europe Completes Steel Frame of Manufacturing Facility", www.railway-news.com, 2 June 2014, archived from the original on 6 June 2014
  17. ↑ "Hitachi Rail Europe tops out Newton Aycliffe factory", Railway Gazette International, 30 October 2014}
  18. ↑ Sources:
  19. ↑ "Hitachi unveils first UK built trains at Co Durham factory". ITV News. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  20. ↑ "Hitachi unveils first finished ScotRail Class 385". railtechnologymagazine.com. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  21. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "ScotRail Class 385 EMUs under construction". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 6 August 2016.}
  22. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Hitachi awarded TransPennine Express multiple-unit contract". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 6 August 2016.}
  23. ↑ "Brexit could force Newton Aycliffe's Hitachi to rethink its commitment to UK, warns chairman". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 6 August 2016.}
  24. ↑ "FirstGroup and Hitachi announce new partnership for high speed trains linking London and Edinburgh". Rail Professional. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  25. ↑ Clinnick, Richard (10 April 2019). "Train orders crucial to Newton Aycliffe future". Rail . No. 876. Peterborough, UK: Bauer Media. pp. 20–21. ISSN   0953-4563.
  26. ↑ Clinnick, Richard (14 August 2019). "£400m bi-modes order launches EMR replacement programme". Rail. No. 885. Peterborough, UK: Bauer Media. p. 22. ISSN   0953-4563.
  27. ↑ Milner, Chris, ed. (January 2020). "Hitachi wins £350Million order for new West Coast Trains". The Railway Magazine . Vol. 1, 428, no. 164. Horncastle, UK: Mortons Media. p. 7. ISSN   0033-8923.
  28. ↑ Pritchard, Robert, ed. (November 2020). "Five years of Newton Aycliffe". Today's Railways. No. 225. Sheffield, UK: Platform 5. p. 17. ISSN   1475-9713.
  29. ↑ Sherratt, Philip (September 2020). "Hitachi's landmark moment". Modern Railways . Vol. 77, no. 864. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. p. 67. ISSN   0026-8356.
  30. ↑ Gill, Oliver (10 December 2021). "HS2 on track to be the 'fastest train in Europe'". The Daily Telegraph. No. 51, 809. Business. p. 8. ISSN   0307-1235.
  31. ↑ Abboud, Leila; Plimmer, Gill (31 March 2024). "Alstom set to mothball Derby plant over HS2 order delays". Financial Times.
  32. ↑ Whitfield, Graeme (11 December 2023). "Hitachi slashes value of Durham factory amid crisis in rail industry". business-live.co.uk.
  33. ↑ Holland, Daniel (12 April 2024). "Hitachi Rail layoff talks 'could start in June'". BBC News.
  34. ↑ Jasper, Christopher (6 April 2024). "How a 200-year-old British industry reached the end of the line". The Telegraph.
  35. ↑ Ltd, White October. "UK Manufacturing Facility | Hitachi Rail Europe". www.hitachirail-eu.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  36. ↑ Richardson, Andy (3 September 2015). "Cameron welcomes train manufacturing back to the North-East". The Northern Echo. Newsquest. Retrieved 28 July 2016. The new factory is close to Heighington Crossing where, almost 190 years ago to the day, George Stephenson assembled Locomotion No. 1 and began the first generation of passenger engines.
  37. ↑ Milan Metro cars in Newton Aycliffe The Railway Magazine issue 1436 November 2020 page 9

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.