ROLLING STOCK
Dormer highlighted bi-mode as “an electrifi cation enabler” and added: “It would be very nice if the whole of the UK network was electrifi ed, but clearly from a cost point of view that’s a big challenge.”
Once more of the network has been electrifi ed, the bi-mode trains can be easily converted to electric only.
‘A seamless transition’ i
Hitachi has committed to building three new depots, at North Pole in London, Stoke Gifford in Bristol, and Swansea Maliphant. Four existing depots will be upgraded.
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www.railtechnologymagazine.com/ rolling-stock
Depending on their length, the bi-mode vehicles will each have three (fi ve-unit trains), four (eight-unit trains) or fi ve (nine-unit trains) MTU Powerpacks, and the pure electric trains will be fi tted with one Powerpack each for auxiliary power.
The MTU Powerpacks are diesel-electric underfl oor drive units, producing 700kW, and include a 12-cylinder MTU 12V 1600 R80L diesel engine.
“ It would be very nice if the whole of the UK network was electrifi ed, but clearly from a cost point of view that’s a big challenge.”
Work is currently ongoing at the North Pole and rubble from the previous sub-contractor has been cleared at the Stoke
Gifford site in preparation for the new depot. In Swansea, modelling work has commenced following environmental services.
The North Pole depot is so large that staff will be given bicycles to get around in the shed, Dormer said.
“It’s very important for us to utilise as much of the existing depot infrastructure as we could, but also to ensure we had a seamless transition from the HST fl eet into the new Super Express fl eet. The addition of new maintenance capability was important for the Great Western as we can migrate the service across and strengthen the service.”
50,000 man hours of work have taken place at the North Pole depot, which is set to open in less than 400 days. Stoke Gifford has seen 15,000 man hours and Swansea 8,000.
“The clock is ticking,” Dormer said. “There’s a huge effort from our supply chain and from UK contractors getting these sites ready.”
Bringing manufacturing to the UK
Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, is Hitachi Rail Europe’s fi rst UK factory, developed on a greenfi eld site in an area with a “huge amount of railway heritage”.
The design of the assembly plant has been four years in the making, with construction due to begin this October. Archaeological work is ongoing, but if important remnants are discovered, they will be moved to a different location. Dormer explained: “The local council are adamant this factory will go ahead.”
The fi rst jobs have already started to be let, including a plant manager and HR manager to help fi ll new roles.
Although the actual production of the rolling stock parts will take place in Japan, Hitachi aims to involve a local workforce as much as possible. Businesses from across the world are part of the supply chain, and there has been “lots of interest”, Dormer said.
If suppliers are not based in the UK, Hitachi is “very keen for our suppliers to come to Newton Aycliffe and set up alongside us”. For UK companies, “we value your business, but we value you even more if you’re based in the north east”.
He added: “This is a long term investment for us so we want others to invest alongside us.”
The right people
Recruiting enough young people to ensure the sustainability of the company is key, and the UK business will go from 200 staff up to 2,000 by 2020.
Hitachi is applying for a university technical college to be built alongside the Newton Aycliffe factory to train the next generation of workers.
Dormer said: “It’s very important that we get the skills and the people. We’re going to be in this factory for many years and we need to enthuse kids who are 12, 13 years old now, to want to have a job with Hitachi in the future, and to make sure they have the skills that we need in this factory and in our depots.
“We need the right culture. We want people with a can-do attitude that are proud to work for a high-technology railway company, people who want to have a long career in engineering.
“It’s about fi nding the right people, heavy investment in training. We still have a hell of a lot of work to do.”
www.hitachi.co.uk FOR MORE INFORMATION
rail technology magazine Jun/Jul 13 | 61
Timeline
2013 Award contract for main works, fi nal planning application
2014 Newton Aycliffe construction 2015 Testing facility built, trains tested on East Coast line, handover of turnkey contract, North Pole opens
2016 IEP production begins 2017 First trains go into service on the Great Western Main Line
2018 Trains enter service on the East Coast line
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