Hitachi Rail Europe has opened a new building at its Newton Aycliffe train factory located in County Durham, UK, in a bid to enhance its production capacity.
The opening of the new building, which was made possible thanks to an investment of £5m, increases Hitachi’s total investment in the site to more than £100m.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Named Aspire, the new building was opened by British MP Phil Wilson.
Hitachi Manufacturing chief operating officer Ross Nagle said: “Our train building team are delivering truly world-class trains to run across the country and this new building is another step in Newton Aycliffe’s development.
“We are proud to add a new chapter to the region’s rail heritage and seeing our long-term investment making a real impact to manufacturing in the North.”
Established in 2015, the Newton Aycliffe facility manufactures intercity and commuter trains using Japanese bullet train technology.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIt is currently engaged in building the Azuma fleet for the East Coast main line under the UK’s £5.7bn Intercity Express Programme.
Phil Wilson said: “The ripple effect of Hitachi’s investment is being felt across the North East, for every one job created by them an additional 1.5 are created nearby.
“I’ll be working hard to help Hitachi win more orders, which will not only support train building jobs, but also thousands more in the regional supply chain.”
Newton Aycliffe creates around 730 permanent jobs. It also procures train parts for various British suppliers, which supports even more workforce.
Hitachi Rail Europe recently started manufacturing the upcoming London North Eastern Railway’s (LNER) Azuma fleet.
