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Trainmaker Bombardier is looking to strengthen its links with the UK supply chain as it shapes up to the build the first of almost 600 new carriages for Crossrail.
The Derby-based company said UK suppliers had the skills and production capabilities to play a significant role on Crossrail and on any future new orders. Bombardier said that while it would always look to places like China and Germany for certain parts, such as extrusions, it wanted to source more components from closer to home, giving it better control of the supply chain.
Peter Doolin, head of Crossrail, said: “It's about striking a balance. We want to create jobs in this country, we want to build up a sustainable business. That involves expansion of our UK suppliers, across our manufacturing activities.”
Bombardier has a strong production capability at its Derby site, welding underframes, cutting and shaping steel sections, and producing wiring looms and cabinets for carriages. It said that Derby and the surrounding areas were home to more than 250 firms that had railway engineering capabilities. “We deal with some firms who are a stone's throw from our site,” added Dooley. “We are the only true design and build railway company in the UK, and we need a strong supply chain to help us with our work.”
Bombardier is about to start making the first of the Crossrail carriages. It is producing 65 nine-car trains based on its Aventra platform. The company is also bidding for work to supply carriages to outer suburban routes. “There is a renaissance in the UK rail sector,” added Doolin. “Potentially there are £4-5 billion worth of orders in the next five to six years.”
The upbeat feel at Bombardier comes in stark contrast to a few years ago, when the company lost out to Siemens on a multi-million contract to build new Thameslink trains. That decision almost saw the closure of the Derby plant.
But the Crossrail order has given Bombardier's parent company in Canada the confidence to invest in the Derby plant, with Doolin claiming that the facility was now a major profit generator.