Transport giants unveil bids for HS2 train design

Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier/Hitachi have submitted bids for a £2.75bn contract to design, build and maintain trains for HS2.

The contract is to design, build and maintain at least 54 trains for phase one of the £56bn next-generation railway, which will link London to the West Midlands.

HS2 is expected to award the rolling stock contract to a successful bidder in spring 2020.

William Wilson, chief executive officer of Siemens Mobility Limited called the submission a “huge milestone” for the company.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to develop an offer that transforms how passengers experience high speed trains and set the standard for other global high speed rail systems to follow,” he said. “I am confident Siemens’ bid will offer HS2 the best combination of value to passengers, taxpayers and the UK economy.”

As well as Siemens, Bombardier and Hitachi have also lodged a joint bid for the contract.

Just the ticket? The three companies’ HS2 bid designs

Hitachi Rail’s managing director, Karen Boswell, said: “Hitachi-Bombardier’s Great British train for HS2 would be a shining example of British ingenuity. Our bid, if successful, would bring significant benefits for economies and communities, while truly transforming connectivity and passengers’ experience.”

Nick Crossfield, managing director for Alstom in UK and Ireland, said: “Alstom’s vision is to make HS2 trains a timeless design classic, with a passenger experience that is as smooth, calm and spacious as it is high-speed. Alstom is excited to unveil this proposed train for HS2, which is the most important economic regeneration project in Britain for decades. It will knit together the great cities of the midlands and the north as never before, and turbo-charge our regional economies.”