A FAMILY-RUN steel fabrication firm has expressed an interest in helping a train builder expand.

Finley Structures hopes Hitachi Rail Europe will come calling if it decides to increase its North-East base.

The company is based within a mile of Hitachi’s site in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, and previously built the steel frame on the train builder’s £82m factory.

John Finley, who founded Finley Structures in 2000, said he hoped his company could be involved in any future expansion of Hitachi.

“It is fantastic to see Hitachi doing so well and expanding their workforce.

“We would happily help them in expanding their site, but we realise it would be very competitive.”

Last month, Koji Tsuruoka, the Japanese ambassador for the UK, called on Hitachi, who aim to have 281 Aycliffe-built trains in operation by 2020, to expand its plant to cope with “decades” of future orders.

Mr Tsuruoka made the comments during an event to mark the launch of Hitachi’s first Newton Aycliffe-built train, which will come into operation later this year.

“I was really pleased to get Hitachi and bring train building back to the North East” added Mr Finley.

This month, Finley Structures are to begin work on Britain’s first state-funded Hindu school.

The company is supplying 337 tonnes of steel for Krishna Avanti School in London, to add to its growing list of work with education establishments.

In November, Finley secured three contracts to work on a number of schools across the UK, including Ryde Academy on the Isle of Wight, Abbotsfield in West London and Roundhay School in Leeds.

The firm is also carrying out work on Doncaster Sixth Form College and Burnley Bridge Business Park.

Mr Finley added: “People wanted to see different and more unusual designs.

“Everyone was building hospitals, then it was supermarkets, but now the focus seems to be on education.”