ARRIVA has revealed that it has chosen Spanish train builder CAF to provide almost 300 new vehicles for the next Northern franchise.
Arriva takes over Northern from the current partnership of Serco and Abellio at the start of April, and its franchise commitments include the replacement of the unpopular diesel Pacers which still run on a number of routes in the north. The units, based on a Leyland bus body, are now more than 30 years old, and at the moment some are also running in south Wales and the Bristol and Exeter areas of south west England. More electric trains will also be needed for newly-electrified routes in the north.
Arriva said the contract, worth £490 million, had followed 'a comprehensive procurement process,' and is financed by Eversholt Rail. The new trains will be based on CAF's existing Civity series, and the 160km/h fleet will consist of a mixture of electric and diesel units. There will be 31 x 3-car and and 12 x 4-car electric units, plus 25 x2-car and 30 x3-car diesels. Arriva said the trains would feature air conditioning, power sockets and tables, cycle racks, toilets, digital CCTV and free Wifi. The first are due to enter service in 2018, and will immediately start to replace the Pacers.
The order breaks new ground for CAF, which has built large numbers of railcars for Ireland over the past ten years and also supplied the replacement tram fleet for Midland Metro in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Antonio Campos, the international commercial director for Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles in Western Europe said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for CAF to consolidate its position as one of the leading manufacturers of trains within the very competitive UK market. CAF is delighted to be working with Arriva Rail North and Eversholt Rail Group to provide high quality, cost effective and highly reliable trains for the people throughout Northern England. These trains will provide an improved travelling experience for regular rail passengers."
Chris Burchell, the managing director of Arriva’s UK Trains Division, said: “We are delighted to partner with CAF and Eversholt Rail to meet the high specification and demanding timetable for delivery of the new rolling stock." He added that he hoped the announcement "once again makes clear our determination to deliver on our promises to passengers".
Eversholt Rail CEO Mary Kenny said: “We are delighted to be supporting CAF and Arriva Rail North with the supply of this new rolling stock for the new Northern rail franchise. These new trains will bring much-needed improvements in comfort and capacity for passengers on this important part of the network and we look forward to working with our partners to bring them into service.”
The news follows Arriva’s announcement earlier this month that the present Northern managing director Alex Hynes is joining Arriva to lead Northern’s 5,500 employees as managing director of Arriva Rail North Ltd. Arriva added that more announcements can be expected soon.