Work resumes at rail factory that faced closure

Alstom warned in 2024 the future of its Litchurch Lane plant was uncertain

Train firm Alstom has started work on a new fleet of Elizabeth Line trains at its factory in Derby that had been at risk of closure.

The company secured the £370m contract with Transport for London (Tfl) in June 2024, about two months after it started a redundancy consultation at its Litchurch Lane plant, prompted by a gap in orders.

Work is now under way at the factory to make 10 new trains for the Elizabeth Line - which runs from the west to the east of London - about 18 months after production at the site stopped.

Managing director Andy Butters called the project a "glimmer of hope".

TfL met what Alstom previously said was the minimum order of trains needed to ensure the site in Derby could continue to produce them.

Following the consultation in 2024, the firm said it did not make any compulsory redundancies but saw a large proportion of its staff voluntarily leave.

What was previously a 1,500-strong team at the factory is now made up of 650 employees, according to a company spokesperson.

However, the spokesperson added the Elizabeth Line contract meant the staff count would be "ramped up" by about 100 people in 2026.

Andy Butters said it was "fantastic" to see work resume

The factory had been "quite quiet" since production - for the main assembly of trains - stopped at the site about 12 to 18 months ago, said Mr Butters, managing director of UK rolling stock and components.

"We looked at a bleak future," he said. "This project has been a real glimmer of hope for us.

"It's allowing us to demonstrate our capabilities, it's allowing us to prove our strategic importance to the UK rail industry.

"To see new-build production restarted again, to hear the sounds of trains being built again, is fantastic."

Mr Butters added the firm was bidding for new work, exploring export opportunities and looking into partnerships with other rail firms.

Chloe Turnbull, a process engineer, started her career at the factory as an apprentice.

The 28-year-old, from Derby, said: "I'm really happy and grateful to see these trains being built because it means that I can stay here.

"It wasn't looking so good a couple of years ago - we were all unsure about whether we'd be having a job here or not, it was really quite frightening."

Her colleague, Jack Rhodes, an advanced apprentice, added: "I'm coming here into the company as an apprentice and I want to see myself retiring in the same place."

Process engineer Chloe Turnbull started working at the factory as an apprentice

Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield said people had "built their lives around their jobs" at the factory, making the restart of production of the factory especially "significant".

"Two years ago we were fighting for the survival of this factory and yet here are today watching the Elizabeth Line trains rolling off the track," she said.

Commissioner of TfL Andy Lord, originally from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, added it was "brilliant" to see Alstom "invest in the facility" in Derby.

"Hopefully the order that we've placed will give them the ability to do further investment and win more orders for the wider UK rail industry," he said.

Alstom also secured a contract worth about £60m to refurbish CrossCountry Voyager trains in August 2024.