Chinese rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Shandong has dispatched the first of 71 wagons ordered by London Underground for use on track renewal and maintenance trains. The order placed in early 2017 covers 66 open and five flatbed wagons, along with technical support. The vehicles were specified to be suitable for operation on the national rail network as well as on London Underground lines; this means that they must will comply with European Union TSIs and UK Notified National Technical Rules as well as London Underground’s standards.
Announcing the shipment of the first batch last month, CRRC said this was the first time that a European metro operator had ordered Chinese-built wagons. It believed that the UK, as ‘the birthplace of the railway’, would ‘welcome Chinese-made wagons for the first time’.