--- title: "Alstom's £1 Billion Train Order Secures 350 Derby Jobs…" canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/alstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs" language: "en" author: "drashtigarach" published: "2026-09-16T12:33:56.000Z" modified: "2026-09-16T12:33:56.000Z" --- [Back to Blog](/blog) [Jobs](/blog/tag/jobs)[Skills](/blog/tag/skills)[News](/blog/tag/news) # Alstom's £1 Billion Train Order Secures 350 Derby Jobs and a Gap Before the Work Starts Alstom won a £1bn order for 29 battery-electric trains, securing 350 Derby jobs and thousands in the supply chain. Build starts 2028, so here is the gap. [![Drashti Garach](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/5719d740-e510-42bc-8017-e040d145f35f_1766029465094.png)Drashti Garach @DrashtiGarach](/blog/author/drashtigarach) [September 16, 2026](/blog/archive/2026/09)11 min read ![Alstom's £1 Billion Train Order Secures 350 Derby Jobs and a Gap Before the Work Starts](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/10272-v2.jpg) [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs&title=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs&title=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts)[mailto:?subject=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](mailto:?subject=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs) ## What happened Britain's largest train factory has work again. The Department for Transport announced that 29 new Adessia Stream battery-electric trains will be built at Alstom's Litchurch Lane site in Derby, in an investment of almost £1bn that it said would support more than 350 jobs at Alstom and a further 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain, according to the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo). The trains will run TransPennine Express services between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, Manchester Airport and Saltburn, and Manchester Piccadilly and Hull, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) said. The commercial shape of the deal is more precise than the headline figure suggests. [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) reported the £1bn splits into roughly £800m for the rolling stock, depot facilities and charging infrastructure, and around £200m for a maintenance contract. That maintenance deal runs for eight years with a potential eight year extension, [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) said, which matters for job security because maintenance work outlasts the build. Alstom, reporting in euros, put the rolling stock order at approximately €930 million in its own [press release](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains). It valued the maintenance agreements at around €230 million for a combined €1.2 billion, [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) added. The trains are financed by rolling stock company Rock Rail and leased to TransPennine Express, [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) reported, which is why the money is not a single government cheque. That structure is worth understanding if you are weighing how secure the work is. A leasing company financing the build means the order does not sit at the mercy of a single departmental budget round, and it is a large part of why a fifteen year horizon is credible at all. > The project is set to generate at least £360 million in spending with British suppliers, [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said. The timeline is the part most easily missed. Work to create the trains begins in 2028, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) reported, with the fleet delivered from 2032 according to [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains). Passenger service starts in winter 2034, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) confirmed. Each five car unit runs to 121 metres and carries around 300 seats including a First Class area with catering, [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said. They replace part of TransPennine Express's existing Siemens Mobility Class 185 diesel fleet, [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) reported, and on unelectrified sections they run without emissions. The passenger case is built on capacity rather than speed alone. The fleet supports the TransPennine Route Upgrade's aim to boost capacity by 30%, with thousands of additional seats a day across the Pennines by the early to mid 2030s, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) reported. Journey times fall by up to 10 minutes between Manchester and Leeds and up to 14 minutes between Manchester and York, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) said. That upgrade programme is the reason the order exists, and it is a useful thing to name in an interview for any role attached to it. For anyone tracking where British manufacturing work is actually landing, this sits against a grim few weeks elsewhere in UK industry, including the [job cuts confirmed at Jaguar Land Rover](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/jaguar-land-rover-voluntary-redundancy-uk-auto-jobs) in the same period. Rail is moving in the other direction, and the reason is a fixed public order book rather than consumer demand. ## Where the coverage agrees, and where it splits Every outlet agrees on the core facts. There are 29 trains, they are Adessia Stream battery-electric units, they are built at Litchurch Lane in Derby, manufacturing starts in 2028, and more than 350 skilled jobs at the Derby site are secured, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) said. Nobody disputes any of that, and the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo), [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) and [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) all carry the same 350 figure for the Derby site. The supply chain number is where it falls apart, and it falls apart inside a single week. [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) reported 6,000 jobs across the UK supply chain, and the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) carried the same 6,000 figure. Alstom's own [press release](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said the order would support over 5,500 roles throughout its UK supply chain, plus over 100 maintenance contract roles. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander put it lower again, telling the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) the deal would support over 5,000 jobs in the wider supply chain. Three figures, one announcement. > This contract alone means 40 extra apprentices here, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo), adding that it secures 350 jobs at the facility. The training numbers split the same way. [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) reported 40 apprentices and 40 students. [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said it would train at least 36 apprentices and at least 36 T Level students over the contract. These are small gaps, but they point the same direction. The government's framing is consistently the most generous version of the same deal, and a supported job across a supply chain is a modelled estimate rather than a headcount anyone is hiring against. The service date splits too. The [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) reported the trains are expected to enter service in 2034, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) specified winter 2034, and [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said the fleet would be delivered from 2032. Delivery and service entry are different milestones, which explains the gap rather than contradicting it, but it means a 2032 date in coverage is not the date passengers see trains. What the coverage largely glossed over is the hole this order fills. Alstom confirmed in March 2024 that it was resuming a redundancy process for 1,300 permanent staff at Litchurch Lane, the [BBC reported at the time](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo). The company had told the government that having no meaningful workload until at least the middle of 2026 was totally unsustainable, that same [BBC report](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo) said. Unite's Paresh Patel said then that the real exposure was not 1,300 jobs but 17,000 once the supply chain was counted, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo) reported. Read against the prior exposure of 17,000 supply chain roles that Unite gave the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo) at the time, the [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) figure of 6,000 supported roles is a recovery from a near collapse rather than pure growth. Alstom's UK managing director was candid that the gap has not closed yet. Rob Whyte told the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) that new builds will stop until the TransPennine order starts, and that the company had already taken on refurbishment work for CrossCountry and for ScotRail and would look to transfer as many people as it could into that area. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called the announcement a huge relief to Alstom's Derby workers and those in the supply chain, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) reported, which is the language of a reprieve rather than an expansion. ## What this means for your job search Treat this as a signal about where to build a career, not as a job opening. Nothing is being manufactured until 2028, and the most honest read of Whyte's own words to the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) is that Derby faces a quiet stretch before the TransPennine work begins, cushioned by refurbishment contracts. If you are in Derby now, the near term opportunity is in that refurbishment work and in the redeployment he described, not in the new build. The durable opportunity is the training pipeline. Apprenticeships and T Level places tied to a contract that runs into the mid 2030s are among the most secure entry routes in British manufacturing right now, because the work is contracted rather than speculative. If you are early career, or advising someone who is, a Derby rail apprenticeship attached to an order book of this length is a stronger bet than most graduate schemes, and it comes with a recognised qualification at the end. Be sceptical of the supply chain number in either direction. The [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) headline figure for supported roles does not mean that many vacancies, and it never did. But the supply chain is where the volume genuinely sits, and it is national rather than local, covering manufacturing, engineering, digital systems and train technology across Alstom's British suppliers, [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) said. That is where to look if you are not in the East Midlands, and it is a far larger pool than the Derby headcount. There is a wider lesson in how this story was reported. When a government, a manufacturer and a minister give three different numbers for the same thing in the same week, the lowest figure from the party actually doing the hiring is usually the one to plan around. Alstom said over 5,500 in its own [press release](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains), and Alstom is the employer. If you want a sense of what the pay looks like across the sector before you commit, our guide to [what railroad workers earn](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/how-much-do-railroad-workers-make) sets the baseline. It is also worth knowing which skills this order actually buys. These are battery-electric units rather than conventional diesel stock, and the [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) announcement named manufacturing, engineering, digital systems and train technology as the supply chain areas involved. Battery traction, charging infrastructure and the software that manages both are closer to the electric vehicle skill set than to traditional rail fitting, and the £800m rolling stock portion reported by [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) explicitly covers depot facilities and charging infrastructure alongside the trains themselves. If you already have battery or power electronics experience from another sector, that transfers here, and the [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) commitment of at least £360 million in spending with British suppliers is the budget those roles are funded from. One last practical note on timing. A 2028 manufacturing start sounds distant, but hiring and training for a build of this size begins well before the first panel is cut, and the apprenticeship intake is the clearest early signal. Watch Alstom's own intake rounds rather than waiting for the build date. ## Related Articles - [A New Humanoid Robot Factory and What It Means for Your Job](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/humanoid-robot-factory-what-it-means-for-your-job) - [How a New FDA Program Could Bring Drug Manufacturing Jobs Back to the US](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/fda-precheck-program-drug-manufacturing-jobs-us-2026) - [Europe Races to Add AI in Factories as Its Workforce Ages, What It Means for Manufacturing Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/europe-ai-manufacturing-workforce-2026) - [Why AI Won't Save Manufacturing Jobs Until Companies Fix the Work First](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/ai-wont-save-manufacturing-jobs-until-work-fixed-2026) - [What May's Factory Growth Means for US Manufacturing Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/what-mays-factory-growth-means-us-manufacturing-jobs) - [Construction Robots Enter US Homebuilding and What It Means for Skilled Trades Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/construction-robots-homebuilding-skilled-trades-jobs) - [Data Center Boom Has Employers Paying Off Student Loans to Land Electricians and Welders](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/data-center-boom-skilled-trades-hiring-perks-2026) - [Texas Halts New Data Center Grid Connections and Thousands of Construction Jobs Wait](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/texas-data-center-grid-audit-construction-jobs-2026) - [Google, Ford and BlackRock Bet Big on Skilled Trades Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/google-ford-and-blackrock-bet-big-on-skilled-trades-jobs) - [How Nuclear-Powered Data Centers Are Sparking a New Wave of Energy Jobs](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/nuclear-powered-data-centers-energy-jobs-wave) - [What Private Equity's Push Into Skilled Trades Means for Contractors](https://www.metaintro.com/blog/private-equity-push-skilled-trades-contractors) ## People Also Asked ### Q: How many jobs does the Alstom TransPennine order actually create? A: More than 350 skilled jobs at Alstom's Derby site, which [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) describes as secured rather than newly created. The supply chain figure is disputed. [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain) put it at 6,000 roles, while [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said over 5,500. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander gave a figure of over 5,000 in her remarks to the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo). Those are modelled supported roles across suppliers, not advertised vacancies, so treat the employer's own number as the planning figure. ### Q: When does hiring for the Derby train factory start? A: Manufacturing does not begin until 2028, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd94y7d7qyzo) reported, with delivery from 2032 and passenger service from winter 2034 according to [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-british-built-trains-to-transform-railways-and-reindustrialise-britain). Alstom's UK managing director said new builds will stop until the TransPennine order starts, with refurbishment work for CrossCountry and ScotRail bridging the gap, so immediate openings are more likely in refurbishment than in new build. The maintenance side is the part worth watching for anyone who wants long horizon work rather than a build slot. [Alstom](https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/9/alstom-and-transpennine-express-sign-eur12-billion-contracts-britains-first-mainline-battery-electric-trains) said the contract carries over 100 maintenance roles, and [Railway Gazette](https://www.railwaygazette.com/transpennine-express/2026/09/11/alstom-awarded-1bn-transpennine-express-battery-electric-train-order-to-bring-faster-more-reliable-journeys-to-the-north/) reported the maintenance agreement runs eight years with a possible eight year extension. Those depot and servicing jobs begin when trains enter service rather than when the line starts running, and they sit where the fleet is based rather than in Derby, which makes them a different geography from the factory work. ### Q: Is UK train manufacturing actually recovering? A: It is more stable than it was. Alstom began a redundancy process covering 1,300 permanent staff at Litchurch Lane after warning it had no meaningful workload, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo) reported at the time. Unite warned then that the exposure reached 17,000 roles once the supply chain was counted, according to that same [BBC report](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy6zw5q09xpo). A contracted order running to the mid 2030s changes that picture, but it restores a capability that came close to being lost rather than adding new capacity. Ready to build a career in something with an order book behind it? [Metaintro](https://www.metaintro.com) tracks openings across 50M jobs, and you can [sign up here](https://www.metaintro.com/signup) to get roles matched to you. ### Share this article [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs&title=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs&title=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts)[mailto:?subject=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs](mailto:?subject=Alstom's%20%C2%A31%20Billion%20Train%20Order%20Secures%20350%20Derby%20Jobs%20and%20a%20Gap%20Before%20the%20Work%20Starts&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Falstom-1bn-train-order-derby-jobs) For job seekers ## Skip the job boards. 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