Alstom has been awarded a contract by TransPennine Express — the intercity rail operator for the North of England and Scotland — to maintain two fleets of 25 brand new five-car trains from their entry into commercial service in 2019 to 2024, with an option for two additional years.

The works will take place at Alstom’s maintenance facilities in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Alstom will create 25 new permanent jobs across these three sites to deliver the project, along with new training and apprenticeship opportunities delivered via Alstom’s recently announced Widnes Technology Centre.

The fleets, which will provide an extra 13 million seats a year, comprise 12 five-car Civity UK Intercity electric trains and 13 five-car Intercity trains. The electric trains will run between Manchester and Liverpool to Glasgow and Edinburgh, whilst the diesel vehicles will run initially between Liverpool and Newcastle.

Alstom’s latest contract with TransPennine Express follows its recent completion of major refurbishment work on the Pendolino fleet, which comprises 56 Class 390 "tilting" trains used by Virgin on the West Coast Main Line. The project was Alstom’s fourth heavy overhaul of the fleet.