---
title: "VEAT Notice - Class 397 Train Services Agreement"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Transpennine Trains Limited"
published: "2026-09-28"
---

# VEAT Notice - Class 397 Train Services Agreement

Buyer: Transpennine Trains Limited  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd

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## Summary

Transpennine Trains Limited procured an extension to its existing Train Services Agreement for maintenance of its Class 397 train fleet. The requirement is rolling-stock maintenance services (CPV 50222000), continuing the arrangement for the Class 397 units rather than introducing a new fleet or a wider rail maintenance programme. The work supports the continued availability of these trains for public use. Delivery is in the United Kingdom. The contract is a single-lot extension to the existing agreement, and the selected supplier is the incumbent maintenance partner, Alstom Transport UK Limited.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Alstom Transport UK Limited. The contract was signed on 8 September 2026, with an awarded contract value of £34,168,000. The extension aligns with the end of the existing lease for the Class 397 units; the buyer is working on a future maintenance strategy and states that it is reviewing whether to compete the services in future after 2031. The buyer used a limited award procedure without prior publication of a competition. Its stated reasons were the supplier’s technical engineering knowledge as the existing maintenance partner, a previous competitive procurement abandoned because it was unaffordable, and the added cost and fleet-availability risk of running that procurement again.

For suppliers considering similar future work for Transpennine Trains, this award shows demand for continued maintenance of its Class 397 fleet and the importance of keeping trains available for public service. A credible competitor would need demonstrable Class 397 technical engineering and maintenance expertise, including the ability to advise on the fleet and take over or sustain an established train services agreement. The buyer’s rationale indicates that continuity, technical familiarity and the cost and operational risks of transition matter alongside the maintenance service itself. Suppliers should be able to offer an affordable approach and manage fleet-availability risk. The incumbent’s position was decisive in this award, so a future entrant would need evidence that it can match the relevant fleet knowledge and deliver continuity at a sustainable cost. The buyer is reviewing its longer-term maintenance strategy.

## Notice

VEAT Notice for a time extension to TPT's Class 397 Train Services Agreement ('TSA') for maintenance.

### Procurement Information

The proposed supplier is the existing maintenance partner of the Class 397 units and therefore uniquely placed from a technical engineering advisory perspective (Technical Grounds). TPE ran a competitive procurement for these services, which resulted in abandonment due to affordability. Re-running this procurement would add unnecessary cost and risk availability of the fleet for public use (Public Good). TransPennine Express is awarding this contract to coincide with the end of our existing lease for these units, whilst simultaneously working on a future strategy for the maintenance of this fleet, reviewing competing this services in the future (post 2031).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091588-2026 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £34,168,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Transpennine Trains Limited |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 6LT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Piccadilly |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ALSTOM TRANSPORT UK LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50222000 - Repair and maintenance services of rolling stock

## Release History

- 28 Sep 2026 at 16:49 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091588-2026

## Notice URLs

- https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077bdd.json.