UK: FirstGroup has announced an agreement with leasing company Angel Trains and Hitachi Rail UK for the supply of 70 inter-city multiple-unit cars to be built at HRUK’s factory in Newton Aycliffe. The deal was announced on December 6, on the day Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited the town.
The £500m deal includes maintenance for a 10-year lease period. The Class 80X cars will be formed into 14 five-car trainsets that FirstGroup will use as the basis for its expansion in the open access market. According to the manufacturer, the agreement covers electric, battery-electric and bi-mode (electro-diesel) variants of the design.
FirstGroup will lose its remaining contracts to run services on behalf of the government as operators are take back into public hands, and as a result FirstGroup is planning to launch more services under open access regulations.
FirstGroup said the lease agreement reached on December 6 would not only give it a homogenous fleet across its open access operations, ensuring flexibility and reliability for customers, but also supports an increase in capacity for these operations. Delivery of the new trains is expected to commence in late 2027. The lease will be financed by Angel Trains, and the trains will be maintained by Hitachi at its depots around the country.
The trains will be used across First’s open access portfolio, including the Carmarthen – London route announced on December 5, and the existing Hull Trains and Lumo services on the East Coast Main Line. The agreement also includes an option for up to 13 more trains worth approximately £460m.
This would support the launch of more open access services should FirstGroup’s recently submitted open access applications be successful. These include a new Lumo service between London and Rochdale, the extension of the Lumo service between Glasgow and Edinburgh, a service between London and Paignton, and a new Hull Trains service between London and Sheffield via Retford and Worksop.
‘Hard work and patience’
FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland welcomed the agreement, saying that ‘the introduction of our new service between London and Carmarthen, and the extra capacity on Lumo and Hull Trains, will significantly increase our open access portfolio over the next few years, with further expansion possible should our recent applications be successful.
‘We know that growth and innovation are key for the future of the railway sector and are committed to working with the government and all our partners to provide competitive, sustainable and improved services.’
Jim Brewin, Chief Director of UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, added that ‘we look forward to once again delivering for Hull Trains and Lumo passengers who will benefit further from our award-winning British built trains.’
Speaking for Angel Trains, CEO Malcolm Brown commented that ‘this is a major milestone for the UK rail industry. In less than three months we have delivered £250m of investment that will bring millions more passengers onto the rail network, connect key regional centres across the UK, secure crucial manufacturing jobs and breathe new life into local economies.
‘This is the first announcement of its kind in six years but our ambitions don’t stop here — this milestone represents the beginning of a new and exciting journey, which will see Angel Trains play a leading role in the green transition of our rail infrastructure.’
