Hitachi support

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON’S London Underground subsidiary has signed a contract with Siemens Mobility to design and build 94 new trains for the Piccadilly Line with the first set expected in 2023 (Echo, Feb 1).

Siemens will manufacture two-thirds of these trains in Vienna.

An associated 40-year Fleet Service Agreement, covering the supply of spares and whole life technical support, with a value of £1.5bn, will give Siemens work until 2062.

The contract has been awarded with the expectation that Siemens Mobility will then build trains for all four Deep Tube lines – the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City.

In the North-East, train builder Hitachi opened in 2013 at a cost of £82m and employs more than 1,000 staff, cementing train building in the North-East for years to come.

Sadly, when Hitachi missed out on this deal with Siemens it meant, come Spring 2020, Hitachi and its thousands of staff could be out of work, while a contract that could have safeguarded them, was awarded to Austria.

If this contract had been given to Hitachi it would have given them work for many years ahead. It is hoped that other contracts that Hitachi are in for can be won.

Given that the North-East is one of those regions which has suffered at the hands of this government’s austerity agenda, surely the government should support those companies who have invested heavily and shown their commitment to the manufacturing sector, and the wider supply chains, such as Hitachi?

Ken Hodgson, Shildon

Help Hitachi

WITH regard to the deal given to Siemens and not Hitachi (Echo, Feb 1), I think that this is one of the few times that people will agree with Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson.

When we were told that Siemens had got the deal it was all about the company were going to build a factory here using local labour and apprenticeships – a boost for the UK.

Now we know this is not true and the majority will be built in Austria. Maybe the EU is helping? When it takes them an unbelievable three years to complete the factory, maybe the rest will be built here? And after that what happens next?

We are told that due to EU rules we cannot give a fair chance to our own country. It is no good going back to mayor of London Sadiq Khan as we know he is a staunch Remainer, and now denies any promises used to get the deal.

Mr Wilson, who helped towards getting Hitachi to Aycliffe is trying to reverse the decision. He needs others to help in his meeting with business secretary Greg Clark, maybe representatives from Durham County Council, unions and Hitachi.

We know Mr Wilson is a Remainer, but one thing he should take from this is that if we remain then the same rules would apply, and all business in the UK could suffer the same outcome. I am sure the EU would see to it.

John Armstrong, Newton Aycliffe