Bombardier celebrates 175 years in UK

Bombardier Transportation is celebrating a landmark anniversary at its U.K. rolling stock manufacturing site in Derby, England.

Bombardier’s site in Derby is commemorating 175 years of train manufacturing in the city. In an event attended by the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt. Hon Patrick McCloughlin MP; the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Fareed Hussain; local dignitaries, key customers, suppliers and national and local media, Bombardier showcased the technologies of the past, present and future produced in Derby.

Renowned heritage locomotives designed in Derby, such as ‘the Midland Compound’ and ‘Tornado’ were reunited at the Derby site in a combined presentation of innovation featuring iconic legacy trains, as well as more recent train technologies and current fleets being manufactured by Bombardier. These included the transformational sub-surface line trains being delivered to London Underground — the first to feature air-conditioning on the Tube — as well as latest Southern and London Overground builds.

In addition, Bombardier presented its Bombardier Aventra train technology, which has been chosen for Transport for London’s Crossrail rolling stock contract as announced in February. Bombardier will deliver 65 nine-car trains and construct a new purpose-built depot at Old Oak Common. The deal also includes maintenance provision for the fleet of trains.

“With the award of the Crossrail project in the 175th year of train manufacture in Derby, we are immensely proud to continue the tradition of designing and manufacturing high performance trains for the U.K.,” Francis Paonessa, managing director of Bombardier Transportation in the UK, said.