Hitachi bosses are due to meet with Transport Secretary Louise Haigh for "introductory talks" as the train builder's Newton Aycliffe factory faces an orders crisis with hundreds of jobs on the line.
The Department of Transport has confirmed Ms Haigh will be meeting with the firm's executives in London on Wednesday to discuss the way ahead.
The meeting comes after months of uncertainty under the previous Conservative administration, with the future of 750 people in work on-site, alongside another 1,400 jobs indirectly, at stake.
Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, Ms Haigh said: “I am absolutely committed to supporting rail manufacturing in the UK and developing a long term strategy to secure the industry's sustainable future.
“We know how important rail manufacturing is to this region, which is why this Government won’t sit on our hands.
“The Department for Transport will work swiftly with Hitachi over the coming months on options to safeguard jobs and secure a sustainable future for manufacturing at Newton Aycliffe."
Earlier this year pressure was brought on the then Conservative Government to act, led by The Northern Echo which campaigned to bring the plant to the region in the first place.(Image: Newsquest)
Concerns had been growing since Hitachi bosses revealed in February they had failed to reach an agreement with the Government to keep their order books full.
The factory, which opened in 2015, is making its final trains for Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway. Ministers told Hitachi they had no plans to order more trains to run on the West Coast mainline, which the firm saw as the only viable way to plug the production gap.
In a rare intervention, Alistair Dormer, Hitachi’s executive vice president energy and mobility, called on any incoming administration after the General Election to act on day one of coming into power.(Image: Avanti West Coast)
Speaking last month to The Northern Echo, he said this would be a “powerful signal” that the government was serious about the North East, manufacturing, jobs – and its relationships with Japan.
Voicing his frustration at the Tory government after years of fruitless talks, he said: "We need decisions. We need action. It's been pretty frustrating for the last two and a half years of presenting so many different options to the Government and, unfortunately, not getting a decision.
“We’ve had lots of words, which is very nice, but we need action."
Labour had claimed that the previous Tory government had the power to save the factory “with the stroke of a pen” by extending the manufacturing giant’s existing contracts, pledging it would do that if it were in power and then also deliver a long-term strategy that would end a “boom-and-bust cycle” for the rail industry.(Image: Contributor)
Wednesday's meeting comes days after a group of North East MPs wrote to the new Transport Minister asking for an "urgent" update on the situation with Hitachi.
The letter from new Labour politicians acknowledged the efforts of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer to highlight the issue when they were Shadow Cabinet Ministers.
Alan Strickland, new Labour MP for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, brought the group of new MPs to the Newton Aycliffe factory.
The letter was signed by Mr Strickland, Lola McEvoy, Sam Rushworth, Anna Turley, Chris McDonald, Luke Myer and Mark Ferguson.
Mr Strickland said: "The Hitachi plant puts world-class engineering jobs on our doorstep, providing skilled jobs across the region.
"After Tory dither and delay put the brakes on our rail industry, I'm looking forward to having a constructive dialogue with Labour's new Rail Minister to urgently explore the options for Hitachi."
Stockton North MP Chris McDonald added: "I listened to concerns from workers in Stockton North and took immediate action to write to the Rail Minister on the Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe, after visiting the site and meeting with the unions.
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"Together with my colleagues, we will protect jobs and a supply chain that runs across the North East and especially Stockton, Billingham and Norton.
"I’m delighted the Secretary of State has committed to meet Hitachi’s management. I will keep pushing in Parliament and here on Teesside."
Hitachi bosses have said previously that they “look forward to meeting with the new government very soon to assess available solutions to maintain jobs and skills at Newton Aycliffe”.
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