AS BOMBARDIER FINISHES ELECTROSTAR PRODUCTION AND MOVES
TO ITS NEW EMU PLATFORM, PHILIP SHERRATT TELLS THE STORY BEHIND THE TRAIN WHICH IS DOMINATING ORDERS
How times change in the rail industry. When Bombardier missed out on the contract to build the new Thameslink fleet back in 2011, there was real concern about the future of its Litchurch Lane plant in Derby.
Fast forward six years, and the situation is somewhat different. Bombardier’s Thameslink bid was based on a new design, the Aventra EMU. With Thameslink lost, the Crossrail contract was seen as a ‘must win’ for Bombardier.
The company did win, and it has never looked back. TfL went back to Derby for its order of new trains for London Overground, and the past 18 months have seen Aventra orders dominate winning franchise bids.
As highlighted elsewhere in this issue (‘Pan Up’), 24 November marked the official end of Electrostar production at Derby. Over some 20 years Bombardier has produced just over 2,800 Electrostar vehicles. But the rapid success of the Aventra means the manufacturer will be producing over 2,500 vehicles of the new design in a much shorter timescale.
DEVELOPMENT
Bombardier had a number of reasons for moving from Electrostar to Ave…
