Rail Delivery Group

The train now arriving is faster, smarter and better connected
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date 7 November 2016
source Rail Delivery Group
type Press release

Thousands of new train carriages will be pulling into stations across Britain by the end of 2020, transforming the experience of rail passengers across the country.

The figures are part of new analysis from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators and Network Rail. Train orders over the last 12 months means that passengers will benefit by 5,718 new carriages – part of deals worth at least £11.6bn - by the end of 2020, the highest sustained rate for more than 50 years.

The new carriages are part of the wider Railway Upgrade Plan which will see rail companies delivering over £50bn of improvements over the next five years. It is estimated that the new trains will increase the total number of carriages on Britain’s railway from 12,968 to 14,966 in just three years alone.

The brand new trains will bring faster, better journeys to every region of the country, with features designed to enhance passengers’ journeys:

All new trains will have:

o Faster acceleration, and a more comfortable, quieter ride
o Air conditioning or climate control as standard
o Wi-Fi connectivity as standard
o Better lighting to suit the time of day or the season
o Accessibility improvements to cater for passengers in wheelchairs
o Better passenger information displays: information on connections at interchanges and disruption, and the potential for real-time information on train loading and seat availability
o Technology that picks up on faults and beams this information back to maintenance depots while the train is moving, so that faults can be avoided and fixed, helping to cut delays.

On long-distance trains:

o A traffic-light reservation system that makes seat availability clearer
o Power sockets for every seat
o More overhead luggage space
o Greater comfort and better leg-room
o At seat power points and USB ports for powering laptops and smart devices

Rail passenger numbers have doubled over the last 20 years. The resulting increase in revenue, combined with the more efficient running of the railway, means the network now virtually covers its day to day costs, helping to sustain investment in improvements.

Paul Plummer, RDG chief executive, said:

“The trains that Britain’s rail companies are already introducing will represent a step-change in our passengers’ experiences. Each train will be better connected, more comfortable and far more advanced in the technology it uses as part of our plan to build a better railway.

“People either love or hate the more iconic trains from the 1970s and 1980s. But fare-payers want a travelling environment that meets the demands of the 21st century, and so many of our older trains are being gracefully retired. The new generation of rolling stock that we’re introducing embraces technology to ensure passenger journeys are as reliable as possible and truly connected like never before.”

Notes to editors

New carriages (being introduced between April 2014 and September 2020):

A total of 5,718 carriages have been committed for delivery between April 2014 and September 2020 as part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, including:

o Great Western Railway and Virgin Trains East Coast - new intercity trains to be delivered as part of the Intercity Express Programme by February 2020 - £5.7billion (866 carriages, as five and nine-car trains).
o Great Western Railway - new intercity trains to be delivered from summer 2018 – £361million (an extra 208 carriages, formed of 29 five-car trains and seven nine-car trains)
o Hull Trains – new intercity trains to be delivered in 2019 (25 carriages, made up of 5 five-car trains) - £60m
o Transport for London’s Elizabeth line - new electric trains introduced from 2017 - £1billion (594 carriages, as 66 nine-car trains)
o Thameslink route - new electric trains the first of which entered service in Spring 2016 – £1.6billion (1,140 carriages, made up of 115 eight and twelve-car trains)
o Gatwick Express – new electric trains the first of which was introduced in 2016 – £145million (108 carriages, as 27 four-car trains)
o ScotRail - new electric commuter trains for Abellio Scotrail the first of which will be introduced in 2018 (234 carriages, as 70 three and four-car trains)
o London Overground - new electric commuter trains introduced in 2018 – £260million (180 carriages as 45 four-car trains)
Great Western Railway - new electric commuter trains - (180 carriages formed into 45 x4-car electric trains)
o Thameslink - already introduced to the network between December 2014 and May 2015 by Govia Thameslink Railway - (116 carriages, made up of 29 four-car trains)
o South West Trains - new electric trains the first of which will be introduced in 2017 – £210m (150 carriages, as five-car trains)
o Caledonian Sleeper - new carriages, the first of which will be introduced in 2018 - (75 carriages)
o c2c – will introduce six new electric trains by December 2016, part of a wider build of new electric commuter trains ordered by rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook and expected to be used by current and future UK train operators from 2016 - (80 carriages, formed into 20 electric trains)
o c2c – more new electric trains to be delivered in 2019 (68 carriages, formed into 17 four-car trains)
o Northern - new electric and diesel trains all to be introduced by December 2018 - £490m (281 carriages, formed into 31 three-car electric trains, 12 four-car electric trains, 25 two-car diesel trains and 30 three-car diesel trains).
o TransPennine Express - new electric and diesel trains and locomotive-hauled carriages all to be introduced by December 2019 - at least £230m (220 carriages, formed into 12 five-car sets of locomotive-hauled carriages, 12 five-car electric trains and 19 five-car electro-diesel trains)
o Great Northern route - new electric trains for Govia Thameslink Railway to be introduced by the end of 2018 - £200m (150 carriages, formed into 25 6-car trains)
o Greater Anglia – recently won by Abellio - £1.4bn in total (1,043 carriages, formed into 10x 12-car electric trains for the London-Norwich intercity route, 10x 12-car electric trains for the Stansted Express, 22x 5-car electric trains for commuter routes, 89x 5-car electric trains also for commuter routes, 24x 4-car electro-diesel trains for regional routes, and 14x 3-car electro-diesel trains also for regional routes)

The current number of vehicles in the National Passenger Fleet is taken from the RDG’s Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry – March 2016, which forecasts the size of the fleet. While new rolling stock will replace some older trains, the train fleet is expected to steadily increase under the following ‘medium’ scenarios:

Date Total number of vehicles

March 2016 12,968
March 2019 14,966
March 2024 15,991
March 2029 17,461
March 2034 19,476
March 2045 21,874

Railhub Archive ::: 2016-11-07 RDG-001