Alstom and CAF…
Alstom’s new rolling stock refurbishment facility opens in Widnes, and building new trains is on the agenda.
ALSTOM’S new 13,000m2 UK train maintenance and transport technology facility was officially opened in Widnes on June 29 by Lord Prior of Brampton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Work will begin at what Alstom claims is the largest purpose-built rolling stock refurbishment facility in the UK in August, when a 28 million euro (£24.5m) two and a half-year contract commences to repaint Virgin West Coast’s 56 Class 390 Pendolino trainsets.
A team of 80 new staff has been recruited from across the North W l h k I and its supply chain. Alstom’s Senior Vice-President in Europe Gian-Luca Erbacci reiterated the company’s i di
proud of our presence in the UK. This shows that we are willing to invest in buildings, but what is more important is our investment ih i lY d d people at the right time, otherwise you don’t get very far.
“This plant is ready to build trains if the contracts come. We have bid for big tenders, and Widnes would be a site positively impacted in employment.”
Nick Crossfield, Alstom’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, added: “This is a truly fantastic facility. I still can’t get used to the size and scale. It is a defining moment for Alstom in the UK, as we have a long legacy in this country and the North West.
“We see a lot of potential for the facilities and connections we have here. We are ambitious, and what you see here reflects that ambition to grow and thrive in a challenging environment.”
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram welcomed the expansion of Alstom’s footprint in the North West, and the economic benefits it would bring.
“The scale of the building matches the scale of our ambition, and is a microcosm of what we’d like to do in the Liverpool City Region by bringing in high-value and highly skilled jobs,” he said.
“We invested £5m in this because we want to work together with employers to bring economic growth, apprenticeships and further linkages with the supply chain.”