he UK rail industry is set for a significant development, with around £1 billion being invested in a new fleet of battery-electric trains for TransPennine Express (TPE). The agreement with Alstom marks a major step towards decarbonising rail services and improving connectivity across northern England.
The 29 new five-car Adessia Stream trainsets will be designed and built at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby, supporting an estimated 350 jobs at the site and thousands more across the wider UK supply chain. Manufacturing is expected to begin in 2028, with deliveries beginning from 2032 and the trains expected to enter service from winter 2034.
Alstom values the contracts covering the new trains and associated maintenance at €1.2 billion, while the UK government has described the investment in the new fleet as being worth around £1 billion.
A New Era for Northern Connectivity
The introduction of the new battery-electric trains is set to have a significant impact on TransPennine Express services across northern England.
The fleet will operate on services connecting Liverpool, Manchester, York, Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn, replacing part of TPE’s existing Class 185 diesel fleet.
Passengers could also benefit from reduced journey times. Government estimates suggest journeys could be cut by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and by up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York.
The investment forms part of wider efforts to improve rail connectivity across the North alongside the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). The programme is intended to improve capacity, reliability and journey times along one of Britain’s most important east-west rail corridors.
Pushing the Boundaries of Sustainable Rail
The procurement represents a significant development for battery operation on Britain’s mainline railway, with Alstom describing the Adessia Stream order as Britain’s first mainline battery-electric train fleet.
The trains will be capable of operating under electric power on electrified sections of the network while using battery power to continue over sections without overhead electrification.
Each five-car train will be approximately 121 metres long and capable of speeds of up to 110 mph, with around 300 seats. Charging infrastructure will also be installed at Hull, Scarborough and Saltburn.
The new fleet will include passenger improvements such as level-access boarding, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, power and USB-C charging, enhanced luggage provision, dedicated cycle storage and real-time passenger information.
Battery technology is increasingly being considered as one option for reducing diesel operation on parts of Britain’s railway where full electrification is not currently available. The TPE order therefore represents an important deployment of the technology on longer-distance mainline services.
The new trains will be designed, engineered, built and tested at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works, combining investment in lower-emission rail technology with support for domestic train manufacturing and its wider supply chain.
With deliveries expected to begin in 2032 and entry into service planned from winter 2034, the 29 new Adessia Stream trains will eventually become a significant part of TransPennine Express’s fleet as rail services across northern England continue to be modernised.
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