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Newton Aycliffe Hitachi rail plant to axe 250 jobs

Up to 250 jobs are set to be axed at a factory making trains in County Durham.

The Hitachi plant in Newton Aycliffe opened in 2015 and employs about 900 people, according to the union Unite.
In December it was awarded a £350m contract to assemble 23 125mph intercity trains for Avanti West Coast, but three months earlier lost out on a contract for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The firm said a consultation with staff was under way, and it was working with the union and local business groups.

Unite officials said it was "devastating news" which had come "completely out of the blue".

Hitachi said in a statement the workforce would be "resized to a team of skilled, core full-time employees", and there might be opportunities for a number of staff to be redeployed to other parts of the business.

Hitachi produces the aluminium bodyshells in Japan, as that is where it has its highly expensive friction-stir-welding equipment. However, the company is now investing a further £8.5 million at the Newton Aycliffe plant so that the last 56 cars of Avanti’s order will be manufactured completely, including the welding of the bodyshells, in County Durham.

Hitachi Rail starts welding brand new British trains as investment in North East factory reaches £110m

•   Watershed moment for train building in the North East as Hitachi Rail starts welding new passenger trains at its factory in the Sedgefield constituency.
•   Total of £110million invested in state-of-the-art train building factory, following an extra £8.5million spent creating bespoke welding and painting facilities on site.
•   40 new roles and extensive upskilling of staff is further evidence of Hitachi Rail’s long-term commitment to the UK.
•   The expansion of manufacturing capabilities makes the factory globally competitive, with the capacity to export a wide range of products from metros, commuter and high-speed trains.

Hitachi Rail’s investment at its County Durham factory – which now totals £110million – sees new facilities completed, allowing welding and painting to start on brand new UK passenger trains.

New welding and painting facilities will be used to build the next generation of intercity trains for East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast. Around 40 staff and newly graduated welders and painters will be completing the high-tech aluminium carriage shells, which are a signature of Hitachi’s intercity fleets.

The North East train builder has invested £8.5million to create bespoke welding and painting facilities within the factory. This on-shoring of crucial high value aspects of the manufacturing process is further evidence of Hitachi Rail’s long-term commitment to the region. It is also the first time in decades that a new train welding facility has been created in Britain, with over 230 carriages due to be welded at Newton Aycliffe.