06.11.18
High Court ruling awards Siemens £1.5bn Underground contract
Siemens has won a £1.5bn contract with London Underground to replace some of its oldest trains with almost 100 new models after a High Court ruling lifted the suspension on the contract.
London Underground originally awarded the contract to Siemens Mobility Ltd back in June ahead of a joint venture bid from Bombardier and Hitachi, but the rivals launched a legal challenge to the High Court against the decision.
The awarding of the contract was automatically put on hold, but Judge Mrs Justice O’Farrell ruled that Siemens and London Underground could push ahead with the signing of the contract, lifting the temporary suspension.
As part of the deal, Siemens will make, supply and maintain 94 new trains to replace rolling stock on the Piccadilly Line which were built back in 1975.
The original deal planned to introduce the new fleet in 2023 and under the 40-year contract, Siemens will also be able to supply a further 50 trains on the Bakerloo and Waterloo & City Lines.
The new fleet of Inspiro walkthrough-style trains form part of TfL’s Deep Tube Upgrade Programme, which will overhaul the signalling on the line and enable three more trains to operate an hour.
When finished, the programme will improve capacity on the line by 60% and improve reliability.
Transport for London (TfL) originally said the deal would lead to a new factory being built in Goole, in east Yorkshire, employing around 700 people, and estimated that the deal would generate around 1,700 indirect jobs, apprentices and graduate roles in total.
Andrew Percy, Goole’s MP, welcomed the High Court ruling on his official Facebook account and said the new contract was an “important part of the £160m train factory investment in Goole.”
He said it was “excellent news” and that more good news would be coming in the coming days, including confirmation that the factory was back on track.
The commissioner of TfL, Mike Brown, said when the contract was first announced that it marked a “huge milestone for the capital and the Underground” and that “these trains will transform the journeys of millions of our customers, and provide faster, more frequent and more reliable trains for decades to come.”
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