News from Sheffield Labour

Sheffield MP Clive Betts welcomes new trains announcement

Clive Betts MP (Sheffield Attercliffe) warmly welcomed today’s announcement by the Government to award a £7.5bn rail contract to British-led consortium Agility Trains in a move that will safeguard and create over 12,500 UK jobs.

Agility will build and maintain a fleet of new “super express” trains for the Great Western and east coast main lines to enter service from 2013.

Agility plans to create a new manufacturing plant in the UK to build the trains and new depots in Bristol, Reading, Doncaster, Leeds and West London to service the new electric and diesel rolling stock. The new stock will replace the distinctive Intercity 125 diesel and Intercity 225 electric fleets that British Rail bought in the 1970s and 1980s.

Clive Betts, who chairs the Midlands Mainline Parliamentary Group, said:

“This is great news. I’m delighted that the next generation of trains are going to be built in the UK. I understand that a decision about the location of the manufacturing plant is still to be made.

“I’m asking the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and Yorkshire Forward to work with the Sheffield MPs to do everything they can to ensure that there is every opportunity for the manufacturing plant to be here in Sheffield. The city has an enormous reservoir of the necessary skills and talents to make success of such a venture.”

Other news from Sheffield Labour

• Station Bridge roundtable with Transport Ministers announced - 8 February 2012
• Paul Blomfield MP slams Tory "ambush" of Government Fair Access Director - 8 February 2012
• Angela Smith MP highlights economic problems faced by Barnsley - 7 February 2012