Tyneside firm is set to expand after £10m deal

A TYNESIDE electrification specialist is set for expansion after sealing a £10m deal to power trains being made by Hitachi Rail.

- COREENA FORD Business writer [e-mail]

Earlier this year it emerged that hundreds of jobs had been safeguarded at Hitachi Rail’s plant at Newton Aycliffe after the manufacturer secured contracts to build nine battery hybrid trains for Arriva Group's Grand Central and Angel trains. The vital deal followed a similar contract for First Group and its Lumo service.

Now it has been announced that Gateshead-based Turntide Technologies has been picked by Hitachi Rail to supply Gen 2 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery systems for the Grand Central intercity battery train contract. They will be the first new battery trains manufactured in the UK.

Turntide Technologies will supply the next-generation batteries, which are designed to be smaller and more powerful than previous lithium-ion batteries.

Hitachi will place orders worth nearly £10m with Turntide Technologies to continue research and development and to supply the batteries, creating a strong pipeline for the Gateshead company over the coming years. It will also result in the expansion of its Team Valley Trading Estate facility.

In addition to the battery systems, Turntide’s solution includes an advanced battery management system to detect and mitigate hazards in the event of system failures.