The Government has been urged to fund new trains for the Elizabeth line between London and the South East in a move that could protect 100s of jobs in Derby.
Train builder Alstom is consulting on potential redundancies at the UK’s largest rail assembly factory in Derby, which it is believed could affect 550 people directly with a further 780 contractors at risk.
As concern rises over the potential losses, bosses from Transport for London (TfL), Alstom and trade union Unite have urged Transport Secretary Mark Harper to fund new trains for the Elizabeth line, which runs between Berkshire and Essex via central London.
They stressed the importance of a quick decision before Alstom demobilises its production facilities for the Aventra trains used on the route.
The letter warned that the Government’s decision for Old Oak Common – in the west London suburbs – to be the capital’s HS2 terminus for several years means more pressure will be put on Elizabeth line services at the station.
The letter stated: “The additional trains will enable TfL to operate a higher frequency of services to Old Oak Common to relieve wait times at the station, reduce crowding on trains and provide shorter journey times for more customers using Old Oak Common station.
“Relying on the existing services on the western route would undercut the benefits brought by introducing high speed rail travel between Birmingham and London; it would be detrimental to the local area, as it would fail to cater for the growing community around the station which has 26,000 homes and 56,000 new jobs in the pipeline; and the consequences would extend to the national economy.”
TfL believes the Government should pay for at least five additional trains at a total cost of around £120 million, because its HS2 policy will cause extra strain at Old Oak Common.
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The letter added: “Given the small size of the order required, delaying it would require Alstom to mobilise a new production facility at a much higher cost.
“If we miss the opportunity with Alstom, it may be impossible to achieve elsewhere and HS2 will not achieve the programme aspirations for Old Oak Common.”
The Department for Transport was approached for a comment by PA News.