Transport for London, train manufacturer Alstom and trade union Unite have jointly written to Transport Secretary Mark Harper urging him to agree to order more Elizabeth line trains.
The trains are built on the same platform as South Western Railway’s Aventra fleet, and the letter stressed the important of a quick decision before Alstom dismantles the production line at the end of the run of Aventra trains.
Alstom also faces the prospect of making staff at Derby redundant for lack of work (See Network News, page 12-13).
The letter said: “The additional trains will enable TfL to operate a higher frequency of services to Old Oak Common to relieve wait times at the station, reduce crowding on trains, and provide shorter journey times for more customers using Old Oak Common station.”
TfL believes that at least five more trains will be needed, because the station near Acton in west London will become the southern end of HS2 for several years, before the terminus at Euston is completed.
The letter added: “Relying on the existing services… would undercut the benefits brought by introducing high-speed rail travel between Birmingham and London; it would be detrimental to the local area, as it would fail to cater for the growing community around the station, which has 26,000 homes and 56,000 new jobs in the pipeline; and the consequences would extend to the national economy.
“Given the small size of the order required, delaying it would require Alstom to mobilise a new
