Merseytravel has produced a long-term rail strategy which recommends introducing a new fleet of trains onto the network from the early 2020s.
The Long Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) suggests that new trains will be needed in the coming years to meet increasing demand and to replace the city’s ageing rolling stock.
On October 1, the Merseytravel Committee will be asked whether or not to approve the £400 million procurement programme.
If given the go-ahead, an OJEU will be published and a preferred bidder could be appointed within 12 months, Merseytravel has said.
The LTRS had also considered the refurbishment of the existing fleet, which is approaching 40 years of age, but opted for new rolling stock.
Merseytravel chief executive David Brown said: “Doing nothing is not an option. The fleet is amongst the oldest in the UK, and we want to ensure that we’re geared up to maintain the high standards people have come to expect from Merseyrail, as well as ensuring the fleet can cope with a significant increase in passenger numbers.
“This is not just about new trains, but what they will enable us to do.
“They will help us improve links within and beyond the city region, supporting our own ambitions and those of the wider ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda, as well as benefitting us in very real economic terms, stimulating the creation of jobs and contributing millions of pounds every year to the Liverpool City Region economy.”
Guess that would be Hitachi to build the new AT100 Metro trains for Merseyrail or Bombardier might start building new trains to replace the Class 507 & Class 508 trains as these trains would be scrapped or to be renumbered as Class 313’s to be cascaded to Southern.
Merseytravel will obviously follow the correct procedure and put the contract out to international tender, thus the winner may not necessarily be Hitachi or Bombardier, which I am sure will not please those who say all trains must be British built. Merseyrail needs the best trains available for the future and if they are products of Siemens, Alstom or CAF, so be it.
Depends on which train manufacture does win the contract would start building new trains for Merseyrail to replace the BREL Class 507 & Class 508 EMU trains that are over 30 years old.