ENGINEERING firm Siemens is creating up to 300 new jobs in the North-East in a deal to build train carriages.

The company is part of a consortium which will build and maintain 1,200 vehicles and two depots for the Thameslink project.

The jobs will be created at the company's facility in Hebburn, South Tyneside, which already employs about 100 people.

Earlier this year Hitachi confirmed a factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham would build rolling stock for high-speed trains, creating 500 direct jobs by 2015 and thousands more in the supply chain.

Announcing Siemens as the preferred bidder for the Thameslink project, Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: "This announcement is further proof of the government's commitment to investing in Britain's future."