Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new jobs in the rail industry that will be created (a) directly and (b) indirectly as a result of the new rolling stock procured through the Intercity Express Programme for service on the (i) Great Western and (ii) East Coast Main Lines.

The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains will be assembled at Hitachi’s newly built manufacturing plant at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham – creating around 730 permanent jobs in addition to jobs during the construction phase. Further jobs are being created in the construction phase of new and refurbished depots in support of the IEP. In addition, Hitachi Rail Europe also expects to grow its total UK staff from 200 to 1,800 within three years. Hitachi also expects to create hundreds more jobs in the UK manufacturing sector and wider transport supply chain as a result of IEP. Hitachi has already awarded 32 contracts to UK-based companies in relation to IEP.