Alstom, Hitachi Get $2.6 Billion Contract for UK High Speed Trains

By Cecilia Butini

Alstom SA and Hitachi Ltd have won a contract to build and maintain high speed trains in the U.K. for almost 2 billion pounds, or around $2.6 billion, the French train maker said Thursday.

The GBP1.97 billion contract, which was signed through the Hitachi-Alstom High Speed joint venture, is for the first phase of High Speed 2, a project to build a new high-speed railway in the country.

The two companies will provide building, design and maintenance of the trains, and their commitment also includes an initial 12-year maintenance contract, Alstom said.

The company said that the contract with High Speed 2 is expected to create more than 2,500 jobs, plus a further 2,000 indirect jobs to be created elsewhere in the U.K. economy.

Write to Cecilia Butini at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-09-21 0640ET