Dellner to supply carriage gangways for new Hitachi Class 800 series trains

Swadlincote, 9th December, 2013 – Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. today announced that it has chosen Dellner to provide the gangways that will connect the carriages on the new trains it is building for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

The confirmation comes as Jamie Foster from Hitachi and David Pagels from Dellner put pen to paper on the contract at a signing ceremony at Dellner’s factory in Derby where the gangways will be manufactured.

The contract will see 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.

Dellner’s gangways are the latest in a long line of the new train’s components that will be manufactured in the UK.  Since the award of the IEP contract, Hitachi Rail Europe have been approached by almost 900 companies mostly from the UK who want to be involved in supplying parts for the programme.  

Jamie Foster, Procurement Director, Hitachi Rail Europe said: “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 27.5 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-based 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.

“During the contract selection process, Dellner were able to produce a prototype and mock-ups for us to test. Needless to say, we were impressed with the performance and they were able to demonstrate that they can deliver on both quality and reliability.”

David Pagels, Chief Executive Officer of Dellner Ltd, commented: “Dellner Limited are proud and excited to be working closely with Hitachi on this project and other projects going forward. The efforts of both the Swedish and UK teams will result in an outstanding product for the new express trains.”

Design and development of the gangways is well underway, with the first unit to be delivered in March 2014. This order will secure the current workforce and enhance the future prospects of Dellner, which currently employs 162 people on its site at Hearthcote Road, Swadlincote, South Derbyshire. 

Gary Shuttleworth, Managing Director of Dellner Limited in the UK commented: “We are delighted to have secured this contract from Hitachi and the gangways will be designed and built at our UK site. Aftersales service and support, including spares, repair and overhauls will also be supported from Swadlincote for the life of the vehicles.”