Efforts


to
save
the
train-building
works
at
Litchurch
Lane
in
Derby
are
being
stepped
up,
following
Alstom’s
warning
that
work
will
soon
run
out.
If
the
works
close
2000
jobs
will
be
lost,
while
many
more
will
be
at
risk
in
the
East
Midlands
supply
chain.

Councillors
and
business
leaders
in
the
region
are
planning
to
lobby
Parliament
in
two
days
from
now.
The
demonstration
on
6
December
will
coincide
with
a
select
committee
meeting
discussing
rolling
stock.

There
are
very
few
fleets
being
built
or
set
to
be
ordered
for
the
National
Rail
network
at
the
moment,
while
the
order
of
trains
for
HS2
will
now
be
smaller
because
the
Prime
Minister
has
scrapped
the
high
speed
line
north
of
Birmingham
to
Crewe
and
Manchester.

Derby
city
council
leader
Baggy
Shanker
said:
‘There
will
be
dreadful
consequences
for
the
city,
the
East
Midlands
and
the
country
as
a
whole,
if
train
production
in
Derby
is
lost.
The
hundreds
of
jobs
that
will
disappear
at
Alstom
will
be
mirrored
by
thousands
more
in
the
supply
chain
and
when
the
nation
does
want
to
order
new
trains
in
the
future,
it
will
struggle
to
find
anyone
in
the
UK
to
build
them.

‘This
is
simply
unthinkable
for
a
country
which
gave
railways
to
the
world
and
the
Government
has
to
find
the
political
will
to
resolve
this
crisis.
It
is
deeply
ironic
that
only
months
after
Westminster
recognised
the
importance
of
the
rail
sector
in
Derby
by
making
it
the
headquarters
of
newly
formed
Great
British
Railways,
that
we
should
now
have
to
fight
to
save
a
vital
part
of
the
industry.’

The
campaign
to
avoid
the
closure
is
being
supported
by
the
managing
director
of
Marketing
Derby,
John
Forkin.
He
added:
‘The
threat
to
the
future
of
train
building
is
a
clear
and
present
danger
and
the
civic,
business
and
wider
community
will
not
stand
by
and
watch
it
happen.
A
solution
is
in
the
hands
of
Government
and
we
expect
that
our
collective
voice
will
be
heard
in
Parliament.

‘We
are
a
world
leader
in
rolling
stock
manufacturing
and,
as
a
city
and
country,
we
should
be
investing
in
that
skills
and
talent
pool
to
help
grow
the
economy.’

The
works
at
Litchurch
Lane
belonged
to
Bombardier
until
2021,
which
chose
Derby
as
its
global
centre
for
the
manufacture
of
aluminium
bodies
for
rolling
stock. Clients
included
leasing
companies
on
behalf
of
Southern,
Transport
for
London,
LTS
(now
c2c)
and
Southeastern.