Bombardier Transportation signed a contract with FirstGroup and MTR to supply and maintain 750 Bombardier Aventra vehicles, for operation on the South Western franchise in the United Kingdom. This is the largest ever single contract globally for Aventra trains.

The contract is valued at approximately $1.1 billion. In addition, Bombardier will execute a Technical Services and Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA) for the duration of the seven-year franchise, with an option to extend for 11 periods in line with the existing franchise extension option. The UK-based rolling stock investment consortium Rock Rail will finance the multi-million pound procurement.

In addition to delivering a significant performance increase with innovative energy benefits such as regenerative braking, Bombardier's new Aventra electric multiple unit will transform the passenger experience with features including wide-open gangways between carriages, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, 2 + 2 seating, USB sockets at seat locations, universal toilets, and improved passenger information system. The new units will be supplied in both five-car and 10-car configurations.

The FirstGroup and MTR partnership will take over the South Western franchise in August. The new trains will operate on the Windsor, Reading, and West London suburban routes. The new trains will start to come into service from mid-2019 and will all be in place by December 2020.