Bombardier get Crossrail Contract

[Mike Bellamy]

Just heard on BBC News that Bombardier have been awarded the Crossrail contract - great news for Derby

 

Obviously more news will come through when press releases etc are issued later in the day

[Mike Bellamy]

First news report on the web now

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26063121

[jamie92208]

That's great news for Derby.   I'm very pleased.

 

Jamie

[Ron Ron Ron]

Good news for the German based Canadian company.

This will provide plenty of work for their factories and subcontractors in Belgium, Germany and of course, Derby.

 

Hopefully, their supplies of interior fittings and components from China won't be subject to the same delays Hornby has been experiencing over the last few years.

 

 

 

 

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['CHARD]

Fantastic news!  

 

And off to Derby I go - fully expecting to see a jubilant city on my arrival.*

 

 

 

* - nothing to do with trains, you understand, just because of my arrival!

[Ron Ron Ron]

Here is the full press release from Crossrail.

(It's a better reference than the abbreviated BBC News story.)

 

http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/crossrail-rolling-stock-and-depot-contract-to-be-awarded-to-bombardier

 

 

 

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[Mike Bellamy]

Good news for the German based Canadian company.

This will provide plenty of work for their factories and subcontractors in Belgium, Germany and of course, Derby.

 

Hopefully, their supplies of interior fittings and components from China won't be subject to the same delays Hornby has been experiencing over the last few years.

 

.

 

What a great negative post - why not look on the bright side at the positive aspects of this announcement as shown below (copied from the Crossrail link you posted later)

 

Bombardier has confirmed that the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby. This contract will support 760 UK manufacturing jobs plus 80 apprenticeships. An estimated 74 per cent of contract spend will remain in the UK economy.

The construction of the maintenance depot at Old Oak Common will see 244 jobs, plus 16 apprenticeships. When fully operational the depot will support 80 jobs to maintain the new fleet of trains.

 

As someone who lives in Derby, works in Derby and has friends working for Bombardier isn't this better news than having to face the closure of the factory?

 

Edit for spelling - a bit cross so I was typing too fast !!

[jamie92208]

What a great negative post - why not look on the bright side at the positive aspects of this announcement as shown below (copied from the Bombardier link you mposted later)

 

Bombardier has confirmed that the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby. This contract will support 760 UK manufacturing jobs plus 80 apprenticeships. An estimated 74 per cent of contract spend will remain in the UK economy.

The construction of the maintenance depot at Old Oak Common will see 244 jobs, plus 16 apprenticeships. When fully operational the depot will support 80 jobs to maintain the new fleet of trains.

 

As someone who lives in Derby, works in Derby and has friends working for Bombardier isn't this better news than having to face the closure of the factory ?

It's also good news for the Old Oak area which apparently is one of the most deprived areas of London with a lot of unemployment according to an article I've just read.

 

Jamie

[dmustu]

 

A picture of the new trains as posted on twitter.

[Ron Ron Ron]

What a great negative post - why not look on the bright side at the positive aspects of this announcement as shown below (copied from the Crossrail link you posted later)

 

 

It was not meant to be negative, but more a hint of realism before people get carried away with jingoistic praise under the guise of this being a "British company', which of course it isn't. In fact 100% not British.

 

I think it's very good news for Derby and manufacturing jobs here in the UK. I had also hoped it would end up there too.

For me, the second choice would with Hitachi at their new Newton Aycliffe factory, but I guess they will still be plenty busy up there with building the Class 800 series trains for the IEP.

 

Hopefully Bombardier will come good on its words regarding the 74% of content spend being made in the UK. Do remember that's "content spend" and not the percentage of "content".

Parts and components for their current production at Derby, comes from all over the place. just like most other companies.

 

The Bombardier owned and operated depot that will be built at OOC, will indeed provide useful employment for the area. 

This would have been exactly the same whoever had been awarded the contract and cannot be credited to Bombardier or any of the other bidders, had they won.

 

 

 

 

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[Mike Bellamy]

The news came too late for this Derby company who once supplied Bombardier

 

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/End-road-Derby-family-firm-53-years/story-20473560-detail/story.html

[scouser]

 

A picture of the new trains as posted on twitter.

I wish they would look like this without that stupid yellow paint!

Good luck to all at Derby, make it a first class product, delivered on time. Come on folks show what you can really do, remember Rolls Royce showed how good Derby can be!

[brushman47544]

I wish they would look like this without that stupid yellow paint!

Good luck to all at Derby, make it a first class product, delivered on time. Come on folks show what you can really do, remember Rolls Royce showed how good Derby can be!

 

I didn't think they had to have yellow paint now. They have to meet a standard for visibility but could meet it in other ways.

['CHARD]

The news came too late for this Derby company who once supplied Bombardier

 

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/End-road-Derby-family-firm-53-years/story-20473560-detail/story.html

 

Engments!  I drove past their place last night, having been familiar with the name for years but never seen the factory.

 

They were synonymous with fabrications, literally a household name over at Lit Lane.  A shame, but clearly facing difficult trading conditions wider than just train manufacture.

[Pete 75C]

I think that black front end will have to go, which is a shame, but I don't think black is on the high visibility colour palette... I don't think there's anyone disputing that a yellow front end aids visibility to track workers. Perhaps less so since the advent of high intensity headlamps, but aesthetics aside...

[Ian Hargrave]

I don't give a damn who owns it.....it's vital news for our area,our economy (Yes,the economy,stupid,as they currently tweet ) and our jobs. A long tradition is safeguarded for some time.Let's put cynicism and sour grapes on hold for a bit and breathe a sigh of relief.

Ian....10 miles from Litchurch Lane....who will give a quiet salutary wave as he passes it on his way to the Doncater Show on Saturday....on a Bombardier constructed train,of course.

[Fenman]

I think that black front end will have to go, which is a shame, but I don't think black is on the high visibility colour palette... I don't think there's anyone disputing that a yellow front end aids visibility to track workers. Perhaps less so since the advent of high intensity headlamps, but aesthetics aside...

I thought research showed that the yellow reduced the visibility of the headlights, which are more important for visibility? Putting the lights against a black background would increase visibility.

 

Paul

[The Stationmaster]

It was not meant to be negative, but more a hint of realism before people get carried away with jingoistic praise under the guise of this being a "British company', which of course it isn't. In fact 100% not British.

 

I think it's very good news for Derby and manufacturing jobs here in the UK. I had also hoped it would end up there too.

For me, the second choice would with Hitachi at their new Newton Aycliffe factory, but I guess they will still be plenty busy up there with building the Class 800 series trains for the IEP.

 

Hopefully Bombardier will come good on its words regarding the 74% of content spend being made in the UK. Do remember that's "content spend" and not the percentage of "content".

Parts and components for their current production at Derby, comes from all over the place. just like most other companies.

 

The Bombardier owned and operated depot that will be built at OOC, will indeed provide useful employment for the area. 

This would have been exactly the same whoever had been awarded the contract and cannot be credited to Bombardier or any of the other bidders, had they won.

 

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I suspect that you are absolutely right Ron.  The first question I would be inclined to ask is where will the vehicle bodies be built and the answer is bound to be 'whichever Bombardier plant can offer the best price against spec' - end of story, although assembly will obviously be at Derby and lots of components will clearly have to come from UK sources.

 

The thing about putting jobs into the deprived area of Old Oak Common sounds like load of hubris to me as that 'deprived area' already has a variety of railway industry jobs just up the road at Willesden, has a factory (later to be a 'train servicing depot' - for Crossrail) making Crossrail tunnel segments on the site of the old loco depot plus some FGW jobs at Old Oak plus jobs to come 'across the way' at the former Eurostar depot.  Many of the jobs will be skilled or semi-skilled and I somehow doubt there is a vast pool of that sort of labour in the area unless things have changed greatly.  And some of the 'new' jobs on Crossrail will be existing jobs transferred in from the likes of Heathrow Connect and possibly even FGW.

 

I don't deny for one minute that Crossrail is - in some respects - good news and that assembling, maintaining and operating its trains will create new jobs but let's not overlook the existing jobs that will go.  The interesting bit now will be Hitachi's reaction as they were reputedly looking for Crossrail work to help develop their UK business.

[Pete 75C]

I thought research showed that the yellow reduced the visibility of the headlights, which are more important for visibility? Putting the lights against a black background would increase visibility.

 

Paul

 

Paul, you're quite possibly right. Headlights hadn't been around long during my time on the railway, and prior to that, high vis jackets had not long been mandatory. I really must stop looking at everything from a 1985 perspective! What year is it now?

[br2975]

It was not meant to be negative, but more a hint of realism before people get carried away with jingoistic praise under the guise of this being a "British company', which of course it isn't. In fact 100% not British.

 

Maybe so, but I'd sooner see the contract go to a 'non' British company employing nearly 800 British workers - than it go abroad to a Korean, Japanese, Spanish or German company employing no British workers.

(says he hoping that Derby isn't just an assembly line ?)

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I've no doubt there are 'foreigners' looking out on their 'world' saying something similar when they see British owned companies in their countries. 

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Brian R

[Ron Ron Ron]

Maybe so, but I'd sooner see the contract go to a 'non' British company employing nearly 800 British workers - than it go abroad to a Korean, Japanese, Spanish or German company employing no British workers.

(says he hoping that Derby isn't just an assembly line ?)

 

 

By all accounts, Derby is close enough to be "just an assembly line", although I certainly wouldn't describe it as such in any sort of derogatory way.

That's very typical of most manufacturing industries in modern times.

Although it still supports many local and regional component makers and suppliers, from what I understand (please correct me if I'm wrong) quite a bit of content comes from other Bombardier factories in Europe, European mainland component suppliers and even from China.

Some of the local companies who used to supply the train maker, have gone out of business because of, or lost business due to, suppliers from elsewhere and not always because of the often cited lack of orders.

 

I understand that, if they had won, Hitachi were proposing assembly of the trains here in the UK; with a fair degree of UK sourced content.

 

Plus it's worth noting that the Siemen's winning bid for the previously let Thameslink contract, was partly predicated on a substantial degree of UK made content, therefore providing a good amount of work for British employees and local economies.

That contract award is often described as the work going to Germany.

Well Bombardier Transportation, the owner of the Derby plant, are a German based company based in Berlin. Themselves being a division of the Canadian parent group. At least most of the work stays here, even if it's an entirely foreign firm.

 

 

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As I said earlier in this thread, I'm pleased the CrossRail contract has gone to Derby and fully understand the positive benefit it will have for not only Derby, but the regional economy, but let's not get confused about this being a more pro-British decision than the alternatives.

 

 

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[PenrithBeacon]

I think that black front end will have to go, which is a shame, but I don't think black is on the high visibility colour palette... I don't think there's anyone disputing that a yellow front end aids visibility to track workers. Perhaps less so since the advent of high intensity headlamps, but aesthetics aside...

A personal experience perhaps, but in poor visibility conditions I think the lights actually hide the train behind! Not that I'm suggesting that the trains shouldn't be made as visible as possible.

 

Regards

[newbryford]

Good news for the German based Canadian company.

This will provide plenty of work for their factories and subcontractors in Belgium, Germany and of course, Derby.

 

Hopefully, their supplies of interior fittings and components from China won't be subject to the same delays Hornby has been experiencing over the last few years.

 

 

.

 

No doubt that some work will go outside the UK but, quoting from the BBC news article

 

The DfT also said that about 74% of the amount spent on the contract would stay in the UK economy.

 

That makes £740M if the figures are correct.

Better than having the trains manufactured outside the UK.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Southernman46]

I thought research showed that the yellow reduced the visibility of the headlights, which are more important for visibility? Putting the lights against a black background would increase visibility.

 

Paul

With modern headlights (even on the daylight setting) it really doesn't matter what colour is behind it - they are visible

[jjb1970]

I agree with those who are happy to see this contract go to Derby at the same time as remembering who Bombardier are before getting too carried away in a fervour of jingoism and wrapping things in a union flag. That doesn't make me any less happy for Derby and for what its worth I find the Southern Trains Electrostars give a much smoother ride over the WCML than the LM Desiros. Whether or not Bombardier are British is a moot point if they are employing UK workers to assemble trains in a UK factory. And as with others I don't use the term assemble in a negative way, most manufacture nowadays is based on final assembly of components sourced from any number of suppliers. That is true of production in other countries too. I'm hoping a good part of the manufacture of these components especially some of the higher value bits of the traction package are British.