Tomorrow, Wednesday, 6 December, the Transport Committee will be investigating the uncertainty in the train manufacturing sector and follows the news that Alstom may make a large number of staff redundant at its factory in Derby.

The Evidence Session title “Rail Services and Infrastructure: Rolling stock and HS2” will start at 9.30 am and will be streamed live on Parliamentlive.tv.

In a one-off session, MPs will examine whether the Government’s and the wider sector’s strategy is suitable for ensuring that rolling stock is fit for the future needs of the rail sector.

The MPs will also discuss whether manufacturing industry is sustainable from current pipeline of orders from domestic and international customers, and whether the cancellation of the northern extension of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester has significantly affected manufacturers’ order books.

The Transport Committee is a cross-party committee, and it will also examine the rail industry’s efforts to decarbonise through electrification and the use of alternative fuels as currently only 38% of the rail network is electrified.

Other questions are likely to be raised around what role Great British Railways will play in guiding the sector, and strategies for procuring rolling stock.

Witness appearing before the committee, which starts at 9.30 will be:

• Malcolm Brown, the Chief Executive of Angel Trains, which owns and maintains 4,274 passenger vehicles, with a further 605 on order.
• David Clarke, Technical Director of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), with a membership 350 companies in the rail industry, and in a report last July 2023 said: “Urgent decisions are needed this year to prevent a crisis and job losses in the rolling stock upgrade industry.”
• Nick Crossfield, Managing Director of Alstom UK & Ireland, which in December 2021 together with Hitachi was awarded a joint contract to build trains for HS2.