Bombardier signs US$2.1 billion contract with Transport of London

LONDON — Bombardier Transportation confirmed today that it has won a contract with Transport for London worth about US$2.1 billion. The British government said earlier this month that it intended to award the contract to Bombardier, after a 10-day waiting period.

Under the deal, Bombardier’s rail division will supply 65 trains and a maintenance depot for Crossrail that is set to open in 2018. The trains will be manufactured and assembled at its Derby plant, a long-time centre of rail manufacturing that employs 1,600 people in design, engineering and manufacturing work.

Bombardier says the contract will support 840 manufacturing jobs and 80 apprenticeships. Construction of the maintenance depot at Old Oak Common will support 260 jobs, plus 80 for train maintenance.

Bombardier has said the contract is “a resounding endorsement” of its Aventra train that has been designed and developed in the U.K.

Rival bidders were Japan’s Hitachi and Spain’s CAF, but Spracklin said the award to Bombardier had been widely anticipated.

The contract follows a recent award in Australia worth US$2.7 billion to supply rail cars to be manufactured in India for the State of Queensland.

© 2014 The Canadian Press