AN events company has secured a deal to oversee project management on the official opening of an £82m North-East train building plant.

She’s Gott It will help deliver the ceremony for Hitachi Rail Europe’s factory, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

The plant, which is due to open in early September, will create 730 direct jobs and provide Class 800 and 801 trains for the Government’s Intercity Express Programme (IEP) to modernise the UK’s ageing 40-year-old high-speed fleet.

The announcement comes shortly after Hitachi confirmed a £360m contract to make high speed trains to run between London and Cornwall, which will be built by its team in Japan.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the factory’s opening, and Nickie Gott, managing director of She’s Gott It, based in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said the event will be an entertaining affair.

She said: “This is a project that event management companies across the UK would have been eager to win.

“The brief provided was challenging and demanding and we responded with a solution which met Hitachi’s ambition to make this an event to remember.

“We have some big surprises in store to ensure the day has the wow factor.

“We are now working with all key stakeholders involved in the construction of the factory as well as getting participation from the local community.

“During the opening ceremony we plan to salute the region’s significant past contribution to the rail industry, as well as recognise the exciting and dynamic future that lies ahead for the region with this plant.”

Karen Boswell, Hitachi Rail Europe’s managing director, said the company was keen to reflect the history of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (SDR).

She added: “We are proud to be opening our new train making site in the North-East, with the SDR originally a railway company that operated in the region from 1825 to 1863.

“As the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, we are effectively bringing train building back home to its roots.

“We are thrilled to be opening our facility and are very proud to say this factory will support and underpin apprenticeships and engineering jobs for many years to come.”

As well as the IEP work, Hitachi’s Aycliffe plant will also supply Scottish rolling stock after signing a contract to make 70 engines and 234 carriages for operator Abellio.

The stock, known as AT200s, will run from late 2017 on electrified lines between Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as routes covering Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane.

Seven engines will be made at Hitachi’s factory in Kasado, Japan, with the remaining 63 built at Aycliffe.