Transport
secretary


Louise
Haigh
is
reported
to
have
intervened
in
the
crisis
at
Hitachi’s
train-building
plant
in
Newton
Aycliffe,
which
is
endangered
by
a
lack
of
orders.

A
similar
problem
had
occurred
at
Alstom’s
works
in
Litchurch
Lane
Derby,
but
a
new
order
for
10
Elizabeth
Line
trains
worth
£370
million
has
saved
the
Derby
plant,
at
least
for
now.

Hitachi
at
Newton
Aycliffe
in
County
Durham
was
opened
in
2015
to
assemble
Intercity
Expresses
which
have
since
been
delivered
to
GWR
and
LNER.
The
Hitachi
plant
was
so
busy
for
a
while
that
an
additional
batch
of
Class
802
Intercity
Expresses
for
GWR
had
to
be
built
by
Hitachi
in
Italy.

Newton
Aycliffe
is
now
completing
orders
for
Avanti
West
Coast
and
East
Midlands
Railway,
but
there
is
nothing
further
in
prospect
for
its
700
staff
until
Newton
Aycliffe
plays
a
part
in
building
trains
for
HS2.

In
a
letter
to
MPs
in
the
region
quoted
by
the
Northern
Echo,
Ms
Haigh
said:
‘I
share
your
concerns
about
the
current
production
gap
and
the
impact
this
could
have
on
the
workforce
at
the
site
and
the
local
supply
chain.

‘I
was
clear
before
the
election
that
there
must
be
an
end
to
the
assumed
boom
and
bust
in
rail
manufacturing
and
I
am
committed
to
producing
an
industrial
strategy
for
the
sector
which
flattens
the
order
curve
and
delivers
the
stability
necessary
to
support
job
skills
and
the
wider
supply
chain.

‘Upon
taking
office
one
of
my
first
requests
was
to
see
the
options
to
address
the
production
gap
at
Newton
Aycliffe
and
on
July
24
I
met
with
Hitachi
and
officials
to
kick
start
a
process
of
work
on
those
options.’

She
added
that
her
officials
were
now
working
on
a
‘suite
of
potential
options’
to
keep
Newton
Aycliffe
in
business.
She
continued:
‘Officials
have
confirmed
to
me
that
they
will
engage
as
appropriate
with
all
stakeholders,
including
the
train
operators
and
the
owners
of
the
relevant
rolling
stock.’