HS2 high-speed trains to be built in Crewe creating thousands of jobs
The new high-speed trains for HS2 will be partly-built in the North West as part of a government contract creating thousands of jobs.
The British-based firm Alstom has been awarded a slice of a £2 billion landmark contract to help create 54 trains in Crewe.
The Crewe Works site has not been used for the manufacture of new trains since the early 1990s, but will now be used to produce bogeys that will form the base of the new trains.
Around 2,5000 jobs are expected to be created across the country as manufacturers Alstom and Hitachi build the fastest train ever produced in the UK.
The building of the 225mph trains will start off at Hitachi's plant in County Durham, before being finished and tested at Alstom's sites in Derby and Crewe.
How will it work?
The first stages, including vehicle body assembly and initial fit-out, will be done at Hitachi Rail's facility at Newton Aycliffe.
The second stage of fit-out and testing will be done at Alstom's Litchurch Lane factory in Derby.
All the bogies, which house the wheelsets, will be both assembled and maintained at Alstom's Crewe facility.
The first train is expected to roll off the production line in 2027, and its first passengers could be carried between two and six years later.
HS2 said the project will build on the bullet train technology, as well as high-speed network expertise, to create some of the fastest and most energy-efficient trains in the world.
Each train will be around 200m long, with the option to couple two units together to create a 400m long train with up to 1,100 seats.
The trains will be able to run on the new HS2 network as well as existing lines.
Crewe & Nantwich MP Dr Kieran Mullan said: "The opportunities this will create for the next generation of engineers and other skilled workers are enormous.
"It is a huge vote of confidence and I know many people and their families who spent decades building trains in Crewe will be delighted at this news. I couldn’t be happier about this."
HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said: "Today is a massive day for HS2."
He said: "The trains that will be built in Derby, Newton Aycliffe and Crewe will transform rail travel - offering passengers unparalleled levels of reliability, speed and comfort, and help in the fight to remove carbon from our transport system.