Forum set to strengthen UK train manufacturers

The Rail Industry Supply Chain Forum was announced by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin and business secretary Vince Cable. The duo visited Hitachi's £82 million manufacturing facility at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, home of Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains. The first IEP trains will start operating to Wales and the south west by 2017 and along the east coast a year later. The full fleet will be operational in 2020. Cable, said: "Hitachi's decision to base its European factory in Newton Aycliffe shows the UK is an attractive place for international businesses to invest and grow. It also underlines the industrial benefits of the rail revolutions now taking place in the UK." The establishment of the Rail Supply Chain Forum will bring together the Department for Transport, BIS and industry stakeholders to develop an industrial strategy to maximise the economic potential of the UK rail sector. The forum will focus on developing supply chains and encouraging the expansion of SMEs across the train manufacturing industry. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has invested £4 million in the Hitachi factory under the Grant for Business Investment scheme. One hundred and fifty jobs will be created during the construction phase and, when the factory is in full production, 730 people will be directly employed by Hitachi Rail Europe.