The HS2 rolling stock are

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

s for the under-construction

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...

(HS2)

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

line in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. There will be two types of trains with both being able to run at the top operating speed of on the HS2 line. The initial order for phase 1 and 2a was for 'conventional compatible' trains and will be capable of leaving the dedicated high-speed sections to continue onto existing lines, where the loading gauge would be more restricted. In the later phase 2b, a number of 'captive' trains (unable to use the existing rail network) may be ordered to operate alongside the conventional compatible trains, with a similar loading gauge to existing European high speed trains. The contract for the first batch was awarded to a 50/50 joint venture between

Hitachi Rail () is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo ...

and

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...

, for 54 conventional compatible trains, which will be constructed in the United Kingdom. The trains will be based on a revised version and evolution of the Zefiro V300 platform. The

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

s (EMU) will be long with the option to couple two units together to create a train.

History

A modelling of costs and risks in the project in 2012 estimated that captive trains may cost around £27million per train and the conventional compatible trains, which will be built for the United Kingdom loading gauge, could have cost around £40million. The first batch of

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

for HS2 is specified in the Train Technical Specification issued with the Invitation To Tender (ITT), which was initially published in July 2018, being revised in March 2019 following clarification questions from tendering companies. Five bids were shortlisted for the first HS2 rolling stock contract: *

, a French company, bid for the HS2 trains with its United Kingdom managing director Nick Crossfield stating “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.” *

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...

, comprises a Canadian company, and

, a Japanese company. This partnership built

Frecciarossa 1000 The Frecciarossa 1000, is a high-speed train operated by Italian state railway operator Trenitalia. It was co-developed as a joint venture between Italian rail manufacturer Hitachi Rail Italy (initially AnsaldoBreda) and multinational conglome ...

high-speed trains in Italy. Bombardier was later acquired by Alstom making the bid a partnership between Alstom and Hitachi. * Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), a Spanish company, these trains would be based on its Oaris platform. The director of CAF Rail UK Richard Garner said “The Oaris platform uses the latest technology to offer high-speed travel and has demonstrated its capacity to operate at speeds over 360 km/h – combined with the advantages of proven reliability, comfort and safety.” *

Talgo Talgo (officially Patentes Talgo, SAU) is a Spanish manufacturer of intercity, standard, and high-speed passenger trains. Corporate history TALGO, an abbreviation of Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol (English: ''Lightweight articulated tra ...

, a Spanish company. These trains would be based on its

AVRIL Avril means April in French and other languages. It may also refer to: Places * Mont Avril, a mountain on the Swiss-Italian border * Avril, Meurthe-et-Moselle, a commune of the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, France People * Avril (name) * ...

platform. Talgo UK's Jon Veitch stated “HS2 will be crucial as the UK economy grows. We humbly believe that Talgo’s combination of experience and adaptivity is the best option for both train operating companies and taxpayers.” *

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

, a German company. William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility has said “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." On 9 December 2021, the contract was awarded to the Hitachi Rail-Alstom joint venture. There have been reports of legal challenges related to the contract. A challenge by Talgo was settled out of court. Siemens sought an injunction to stop the contract being awarded but is now only seeking damages. It has been reported that this is to help it secure contracts for other elements of the HS2 project. The contract was to be awarded in spring 2020, but was delayed due to delays to the start of HS2 construction. The contract was then scheduled for October 2021 but was not awarded until December 2021 as it awaited government approval.

Initial train class

The contract to build the trains for the 54 conventional compatible trains for phases 1 and 2a is worth £1.97billion, which includes an initial 12-year maintenance contract for the trains, with the option to extend this to the design life of the trains (of 35 years). Vehicle body assembly and initial fitting out of the trains will take place at the

Hitachi Newton Aycliffe Hitachi Newton Aycliffe (also known as Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility) is a railway rolling stock assembly plant owned by Hitachi Rail Europe, situated in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in the North East of England. Construction star ...

factory, the bogies will be manufactured at the Alstom factory in

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

, and final assembly and fit-out, including the interiors, electronics and bogies, will take place at Alstom's factory in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

. The first train will finish production around 2027. They will enter service when phase 1 and 2a of HS2 opens between 2029 and 2033. The trains will feature regenerative braking and Hitachi Rail's low noise pantograph, whilst also being 15% lighter and feature 30% more seats than comparable high speed trains in Europe. The trains will also be the fastest trains in the United Kingdom and Europe. The interior layout will be decided following a two and a half year design process involving HS2 Ltd, the Department for Transport and the West Coast Partnership.

References

External links

* {{High Speed 2 articles High-speed trains of the United Kingdom Alstom multiple units Hitachi multiple units 25 kV AC multiple units