The Department for Transport (DfT) yesterday invited train manufacturers from around the world to submit proposals for a fleet of trains that will be powered by both diesel and electricity. They will be lighter than existing trains and capable of capturing and storing the energy normally lost during braking.

The DfT said yesterday that it would order at least 500 carriages and possibly as many as 2,000. They will replace the 30-year-old high-speed trains, the Intercity 125s, which were built by British Rail and which operate on the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line and the East Coast Main Line.

These trains are reliable but their diesel engines cause air pollution and deliver poor fuel efficiency.

Their slam doors cause delays at stations and their lavatories empty on to the tracks, a practice now deemed a health hazard.

They will be the first trains since privatisation a decade ago to be ordered by the Government, as opposed to the train-leasing companies, which the DfT has claimed are making excessive profits.

The new trains will have electric doors and up to 100 more seats, with more carriages. Unlike the Intercity 125s, seats are likely to be fitted in the power cars at the front and rear. They will be the first trains since privatisation a decade ago to be ordered by the Government, as opposed to the train-leasing companies, which the DfT has claimed are making excessive profits.

The DfT accepts that Britain’s intercity lines need a big increase in capacity to cope with the thousands of passengers each week switching from congested roads. The total distance travelled on longdistance lines increased by 9 per cent last year. The DfT wants the new trains to be capable of operating on all parts of the longdistance network, including sections where there are no overhead electric power lines.

It is proposing a “dual-power train”, which will have diesel engines and a pantograph to draw electricity from power lines. Existing electric trains, such as Virgin’s Pendolino and GNER’s Intercity 225, are restricted to electrified track.

The DfT said that the weight per seat of the trains would have to be much less than present standards. It is keen to match efficiency levels achieved in Japan, where bullet trains weigh only 0.5 tonnes a passenger, compared with more than a tonne a passenger on the Pendolino.

Roger Ford, technical editor of Modern Railways magazine, said that the DfT’s failure to invest in electrifying the entire intercity network meant that it had to order a more expensive train. “ The train will carry lots of heavy, redundant equipment, with diesel engines lying idle while running under the wires. There has been a total failure of vision by the DfT, which has left Britain alone in Europe in having so much unelectrified high-speed track.”

He said it would be cheaper in the long term to electrify the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line and extensions of the East Coast Main Line than to run a dual-power fleet.

The trains are due to be tested on the East Coast Main Line from 2012 and introduced more widely from 2014, with 250 carriages delivered each year.

See also:

High speed intercity train fleet could cost up to £4bn

The Guardian: March 9, 2007
Dan Milmo, transport correspondent

The Intercity 125, the workhorse of Britain's long-distance rail network, will cost at least £1bn to replace after the government yesterday revealed plans for a new generation of high-speed trains.

The new trains will be introduced from 2014, the Department for Transport said. At least 500 carriages are needed to replace the 30-year-old fleet but the final order could be for up to 2,000, which would value the deal at between £1bn and £4bn, with each carriage costing up to £2m.

The 125 is being phased out in preparation for a 30% rise in train usage over the next decade. The national passenger watchdog warned that the trains should not duplicate the cramped conditions that are a feature of many rail services. Colin Foxall, chairman of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "We will not get people switching from cars to the train unless a reasonable experience is provided, one that people are prepared to tolerate."

Overcrowding was a growing concern among rail users, with only 60% of passengers believing there is enough room for all fare payers. "Passengers are going to have raised expectations because a lot of the old 125s are spacious vehicles." The 125, once nicknamed the "screamer" because of the loud engines used by the first versions, operates on the east coast, Midland mainline and Great Western routes.

Douglas Alexander, the transport secretary, said: "My department has led the way by specifying what we want to see in the next generation of intercity trains - more seating capacity, improved performance, greater flexibility from our trains, and recognition of the importance of being environmentally friendly."

There was concern in the rail industry yesterday over such a large train order, the biggest in 30 years, being left in the hands of civil servants. One industry source said: "Where are the department's expert negotiators? We have seen with the defence deals that the government has a very poor procurement record. And we are not convinced that it will be any better at train orders." A DfT spokesman said the process would be overseen by a team with a joint 250 years of procurement experience.

The government is expected to delegate the process of buying the trains to the rolling stock companies that acquire carriages from manufacturers and lease them to train operators. However, rolling stock companies are at loggerheads with the government after the DfT called for a competition commission investigation into charges for train rentals. One leasing business, Angel Trains, has refused to buy Pendolino trains for Virgin's west coast operation, citing uncertainty over how it will be able to recoup its investment.

One of the companies that could be an operator of the new trains, Arriva, is looking to eastern Europe for expansion after reporting a 6.5% increase in pre-tax profits for last year. Britain generates 60% of Arriva revenues and it owns the Welsh rail franchise Arriva Trains Wales. It has been shortlisted for three major rail franchises to be awarded this year: East Midlands, Cross Country and the east coast route, which will test run the new 125 trains from 2012, according to yesterday's DfT announcement. David Martin, Arriva's chief executive, said the government must back train operators' investment in overcrowded routes by making more funds available for new infrastructure.

Arriva is one the largest pan-European rail and bus operators with services in Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and the Czech Republic. Mr Martin said the recent acquisition of two Czech bus companies could be followed by more deals in the former eastern bloc because the "phenomenal" increase in car buying was exacerbating traffic problems and boosting demand for public transport.

Arriva reported a pre-tax profit of £110m in 2006 on turnover up 10% at £1.73bn.