Hitachi opens £82m manufacturing facility

Chairman and CEO of Hitachi Ltd, Hiroaki Nakanishi, added: “Today is a momentous occasion for Hitachi Rail, Newton Aycliffe and the British rail industry”.

The facility will build trains for the East Coast and Great Western main lines, as well as Scottish commuter trains.

Image: The facility will manufacture Class 800/801 tains.

“Hitachi accounts for 800 jobs directly but it’s the supply chain wich grows from that and has the most potential to grow into another flagship for the region”.

“It is our culture as a business to take a long-term view of everything we do”, Nakanishi says.

“It was always our intention to make this application in late summer, but with uncertainty around the government’s plans for electrification of the TransPennine route, we have made this decision on the back of the purchase of the new bi-mode trains”. “From our investment here in Newton Aycliffe, to our network of new train maintenance centres across Britain, to our ongoing work in building a strong regional supply chain – Hitachi is here to stay”.

They will combine Japanese technology with British manufacturing to create what prime minister David Cameron, present at the ceremony, described as a “complete revival of United Kingdom manufacturing” – particularly in the north east.

“We are investing record amounts in transport, not just to help people get around, but to help people get on”.

A factory where hundreds of new rail carriages for the region will be built is officially opened today amid a row over jobs.

The £82m rail vehicle manufacturing facility is Hitachi’s first in Europe, and is the result of a £5.7bn Intercity Express contract awarded by the UK Government to the manufacturer a few years ago. These 70 brand new trains will deliver shorter journey times, greater capacity and better quality of service for passengers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2013 (ended March 31, 2014) totaled 9,616 billion yen ($93.4 billion). “That is happening because great businesses like Hitachi have confidence in this area”.