First of 10 new Class 345 Elizabeth line trains entered the test track in Derby
posted on 9th Aug 2026 21:09
Early June, the first of 10 new Elizabeth line trains being built in Derby has left its production line and started final checks on the on-site test track. The train will soon undergo a period of trials on train lines near London and on the Elizabeth line itself, before entering passenger service later this year.
TfL said the milestone came as the Elizabeth line celebrated its four-year anniversary. It has become the UK’s single busiest railway service, with more than 850 million passenger journeys made since it opened in May 2022. When all the new trains are complete, the total Elizabeth line fleet will be almost ten miles long, with a total capacity of around 120,000 people: more capacity than London’s Wembley stadium.
The 10 new Aventra Class 345 trains are being delivered with Government funding to help meet growing demand on the line, increasing capacity and serving HS2’s new Old Oak Common station in the future. The trains are being built by Alstom at its Litchurch Lane factory in Derby, a city that has been at the heart of Britain’s railway heritage since 1839. Derby Litchurch Lane Works opened in 1876 and is now the UK’s only remaining facility capable of designing, engineering, manufacturing and testing trains from scratch.
Each nine-carriage Elizabeth line train leaving the factory contains five miles of welding, 50 miles of cabling, and more than 47,700 screws and 31,700 bolts. The new trains will be manufactured, tested and introduced into service over this year and next.
