Member Article

Hitachi rubbishes union claim that North East plant will be bolting together flat-packs

Train manufacturer Hitachi has rubbished claims by the RMT union that its forthcoming North East plant will simply be bolting together flat-packed trains manufacturer in Japan.

This week the Government confirmed the £2.7 billion deal that will see Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant produce nearly 870 new carriages for use on the East Coast Mainline and Great Western Main Lines.

However, RMT acting general secretary, Mick Cash, said it is a bare-faced lie to claim that the trains will be built in the UK.

Mr Cash said: They will in fact be built in Japan and shipped flat-packed to the North East where they will be bolted back together.

“Any new jobs are welcome but if the trains had been wholly constructed in the UK we would have been looking at many thousands of skilled engineering posts right across the supply chain which would have helped secure the future of train-building in the nation that gave the railways to the world.

“We should also remember that this intercity fleet contract has been mired in delays and mismanagement and is years behind schedule, yet despite that, the publicly-run East Coast mainline, using some of the most aging units on the tracks, is delivering the best and most cost-effective services anywhere on the network, hammering home the case for public ownership of our railways.

“It would be a major scandal if the beneficiaries from the long-delayed East Coast fleet upgrade were another bunch of spivs and rip-off merchants from the private sector.”

A spokesperson for Hitachi said the claims were unfounded and the firm’s Newton Aycliffe plant “will absolutely be a centre of manufacturing.”

Alistair Dormer, Hitachi Rail Global CEO, said: “This is an important milestone in the delivery of Class 800 series trains for the East Coast Main Line. Hitachi Rail has been working closely with the Department for Transport, train operators and passenger groups to design the new trains.

“We are delighted that the success of the programme to date has attracted interest by world-class financiers and we look forward to building these trains in our new manufacturing plant in County Durham.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .