The UK Department for Transport has taken another step to improve journeys on the nation's busiest rail routes by inviting train manufacturers to bid for a £300m project to build 200 new diesel train carriages.
The new carriages will benefit passengers travelling in the Thames Valley, around Bristol and on longer distances in Northern England by 2012.
Transport minister Andrew Adonis said that the opening of bids was part of the Chancellor’s pre-budget review, which will see an extra £1bn dedicated to accelerating major transport projects.
"This invitation to tender should be seen as a clear signal that the Government is committed to improving capacity on the rail network, subject to a satisfactory conclusion of the procurement process and negotiations with the relevant franchises," he said.
The manufacturers that have pre-qualified for the bid process are; Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Chinese Sourced Railway Equipment and Hyundai Rotem Company.
Closing date for bids is 16 February 2009 and it is anticipated that an announcement on the preferred bidder will be made in April.
The DfT is also negotiating with other train operators for the purchase of a further 120 new carriages. By the end of next year, orders for around 1,000 new carriages are likely to have been placed.
By Daniel Garrun.
