UK’s first mainline battery-electric trains to launch in 2027
TransPennine Express (TPE) has signed €1.2bln contracts with Alstom for supply and long-term maintenance of the fleet.
The agreements combine a rolling stock contract, worth approximately €930mln, for 29 five-car battery-electric multiple units (BEMUs), with maintenance contracts valued at around €230mln.
The new trains will reportedly replace part of TPE’s existing Class 185 diesel fleet and support delivery of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade in Northern England.
The order will be booked in the second quarter of Alstom’s 2026/27 fiscal year, manufacturing is expected to begin in 2028 and the fleet will be delivered from 2032. Passenger services are expected to begin no later than winter 2034.
It will be the first deployment of Alstom’s ‘Adessia Stream’ trains, which are designed and built in the UK. The company says they combine high performance, operational flexibility and sustainable mobility.
Designed for long-distance, regional travel, the 121m-long trains are said to run at up to 110mph, with around 300 seats per train, and level boarding at every door for better inclusivity and accessibility.
The trains’ battery technology is also said to allow emission-free operations on non-electrified sections of railway.
Alstom plans to install charging infrastructure at Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn, so the Adessia fleet can recharge efficiently during normal operations.
The trains will be designed, engineered, built and tested at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works – the UK’s only end-to-end train factory.
The maintenance contract will initially run for an eight-year period, with the potential for a further eight-year extension, aiming to maximise the fleet’s availability, reliability and performance throughout its operational life.
Alstom says it will train at least 36 apprentices and 36 T Level students over the contract’s duration, which will also reportedly benefit over 1,000 community members each year through the company’s established local engagement framework.
The new battery-electric fleet will operate on services between destinations across Northern England, including Liverpool, Manchester, York, Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn.
