Ministers are preparing to overhaul a £2billion deal for HS2's high-speed trains after discovering the locomotives are the wrong length. The contract, awarded to a partnership between Japan's Hitachi and French manufacturer Alstom in December 2021, originally covered 54 trains capable of reaching 225mph. However, negotiations are now underway between Department for Transport officials and the two manufacturers to reconfigure the fleet, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions. The renegotiation follows the decision to scrap the high-speed line north of Birmingham, meaning trains will now need to travel on existing West Coast Mainline tracks to reach destinations including Manchester. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The problem centres on Manchester Piccadilly station, which lacks platforms long enough to handle the 400-metre trains originally specified in the contract. The HS2 fleet was designed to operate as two 200-metre units coupled together, but this configuration cannot fit at the northern terminus, reports The Times. Yet running a single 200-metre unit would create an awkward situation for the project, as these trains would actually be shorter than the Pendolino services currently operated by Avanti. The existing tilting Pendolinos, which have been running for nearly 25 years, measure between 217 and 265 metres depending on their configuration. Officials are now examining multiple options, including shortening the trains, lengthening them, or manufacturing two different sizes. The Conservative government signed the original contract more than four years ago, when HS2 was still planned to extend from London all the way to Manchester. The deal was announced as supporting or creating 2,500 jobs across manufacturing sites in Derby, Crewe and County Durham, alongside a 12-year maintenance agreement. But the order was placed years before ministers decided in October 2023 to terminate the route beyond Birmingham, fundamentally altering what the trains would need to do. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Boris Johnson blasts Digital IDs as 'HS2 online' before pinpointing solution to migrant crisis HS2 rakes in £14million a year renting homes on scrapped rail routes New railway line set to connect two major British cities after HS2 line scrapped While the final number of locomotives required has not been determined, sources indicate it will be substantially more than half the original 54-train order. Whitehall officials have insisted the contract changes will not affect employment at the manufacturing facilities. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to announce a major "reset" of the remaining London to Birmingham route in the coming weeks. HS2 chief executive Mark Wild, who previously tackled delays and budget problems on London's Crossrail, is developing a "new baseline" with revised forecasts and a realistic timetable. Passenger services between Birmingham and Old Oak Common in west London are officially scheduled to begin between 2029 and 2033, though Mr Wild has cautioned that the earlier date is "unlikely". The connection from Old Oak Common to Euston is not anticipated until the 2040s. Phase one's current estimated cost stands at £54billion to £67billion in 2019 prices, with some analysts suggesting inflation could push the final bill towards £100billion. The contract has already faced controversy, with The Sunday Times revealing in late 2023 that original designs featured carriages without sufficient doors. Siemens Mobility, which operates more than 5,000 UK employees across 30 sites including a new facility in Goole, West Yorkshire, unsuccessfully took legal action against the government over the contract award, alleging HS2 failed to verify whether the joint venture could meet technical requirements. Meanwhile, Conservative former minister Esther McVey has attacked the broader Northern Powerhouse Rail project as a "charade" designed to "keep mayors of the north happy". Ms Alexander rejected this criticism, stating the government has developed "a sequenced, credible, phased investment plan" for improving northern rail services. An HS2 spokesman said no changes have been made to the original order. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter