HITACHI Rail Europe has chosen Dellner to provide the gangways for the new trains it is building for the Intercity Express Programme.

The contract will see Derby-based Dellner produce 1,500 new gangways that will connect up the 866 carriages on the 122 new express trains that will be used on the East Coast and Great Western Main Lines from 2017.

Since the award of the IEP contract, Hitachi has been approached by almost 900 companies, mostly from the UK, who want to be involved in supplying its plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.  

Construction of the factory starts in the new year. 

Jamie Foster, the procurement director at Hitachi Rail Europe said: “While Dellner are a Swedish company, the gangways that will be used on the new Class 800 series trains will be built here in the UK, in Derby.

"This gives us the reassurance that over the 27 and a half years that Hitachi Rail Europe is contracted to maintain the trains, the gangway manufacturers are in close proximity to provide support.

"Dellner join the ranks of British railway suppliers we have already selected as our partners, including companies such as Romag, Nomad Digital, GB Railfreight and Knorr-Bremse, who have already won contracts or have been selected as our preferred bidder," he added.