THE award of a landmark HS2 contract to Crewe's Alstom plant has been heralded as demonstrating the town "is back in the business of building trains".

In a major boost for UK train-building HS2 Ltd has announced its state-of-the-art fleet of 54 high-speed trains will be built as a joint venture by Alstom and Hitachi Rail at three factories, including Crewe.

The design, manufacture, assembly, and testing of the new trains will be shared between Hitachi Rail and Alstom with the first stages, including vehicle body assembly, completed at Hitachi Rail in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham.

The second stage of fit out and testing will be undertaken at Alstom's Derby factory, while Crewe's Alstom (formerly Bombardier) will build and maintain all the bogies (housing the wheelsets) for the bases of the state-of-the-art fleet.

HS2 says it is the first time since 2004 that both jobs have been done in the UK.

MP Kieran Mullan has welcomed the news that is said will "protect and create thousands of green jobs" and add £157 million to the UK economy for every year of the train-building phase.

The Crewe and Nantwich MP said: "The railways have been at the heart of Crewe for generations. This will be a transformative contract for the site in Crewe and I am incredibly happy that once again, Crewe is back in the business of building trains.

"The opportunities this will create for the next generation of engineers and other skilled workers are enormous. It is a huge vote of confidence and I know many people and their families who spent decades building trains in Crewe will be delighted at this news."

Each train will be around 200m long and consist of 8-car trains that offer the option to couple two units together to create a 400m long train with up to 1,100 seats.

They will also benefit from a pioneering low noise pantograph – the arm which collects power from the overhead wires. Developed in Japan, this technology will make the trains quieter than comparable high-speed trains.

The trains will run in Phase 1 of HS2 between London and Birmingham, and on the existing network, and to capacity and connectivity across the country including Stoke, Crewe, Manchester and Liverpool.

HS2 Ltd says they will have a major impact in reducing carbon emissions from transport.

The first bullet train is expected to roll off the production line around 2027 and the first passengers are expected to be carried between 2029 and 2033.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Thurston said: "The trains that will be built in Derby, Newton Aycliffe and Crewe will transform rail travel, offering passengers unparalleled levels of reliability, speed and comfort and help in the fight to remove carbon from our transport system."

Alstom's Managing Director, UK & Ireland, Nick Crossfield said: "I am delighted that Alstom's joint venture with Hitachi Rail has been selected to develop, build and maintain in Britain the next generation of high-speed trains."

A recent study commissioned by Hitachi/Alstom estimates the award could support 2,500 jobs including opportunities for apprenticeships and graduates.

Crewe's historic Works has not been used for the manufacture of new trains since the early 1990's.