Alstom: Train manufacturer puts 1,330 jobs at risk in Derby

More than 1,300 jobs have been put at risk at the UK's biggest rail assembly factory.

Alstom is consulting on job losses at its Litchurch Lane factory in Derby, which has no confirmed workload beyond the first quarter of 2024.

Work on trains for HS2 is scheduled to start at the site in late 2026 but there is a gap in orders from early next year.

The BBC understands 550 permanent jobs and 780 temporary jobs are at risk.

An Alstom spokesperson said the company had been working with the government over the past six months in a bid to secure a "sustainable future" for the factory.

"No committed way forward has yet been found and therefore it is with deep regret that we must now begin to plan for a significant reduction in activity at Derby by entering a period of collective consultation on potential redundancies at Litchurch Lane," they said.

They continued: "We will fully support our dedicated colleagues during this exceptionally difficult time.

"We look forward to fulfilling our commitments on HS2 and successfully competing for rolling stock opportunities across the UK in the future.

"We remain open-minded as to the future of non-production functions located at Litchurch Lane and to potential future alternative uses for the Derby site.

"We will begin an extensive review of options, and will fully involve our stakeholders in this process."