early 1989, GEC Alsthom was formed from a 50-50 merger of Alsthom and the Power Systems Division of the British General Electric Company; for Alsthom this move was intended to aid Alsthom in selling its products outside the French market. In May of that year GEC Alsthom bought British rail vehicle manufacturer Metro-Cammell.

During the early-1990s, GEC Alsthom was the principal manufacturer of the British Rail Class 373,