Latest Rail News

22.06.18

Up to 200 jobs at risk in Alstom Pendolino cuts

As many as 200 staff members could lose their jobs as one of the UK’s major train manufacturers looks to cut costs in its maintenance of the well-known Pendolino trains.

Alstom maintains the famous trains at five sites around the UK, including Wolverhampton, but in an effort to make maintenance efficient and more effective in the future, the company is looking to trim overheads in its upkeep of the high-speed trains.

The redundancies could stretch to as many as 200 staff— one-sixth of the 1,200-strong workforce across the country— but Alstom’s spokesman has stressed that the cuts are only in the proposal stages, and talks with unions are still ongoing.

“Alstom’s Pendolino fleet has been in service since 2002, and provides a high-performing service to our customer. Given the current market context, we need to improve the competitiveness and efficiency of our maintenance activities while providing the same level of service,” he said.

“We anticipate that this refocusing will unfortunately result in fewer jobs being required, and for this reason we have started consultations with trade unions and employees on a redundancy programme.”

Alstom has reiterated that the voluntary redundancies will be focused on first, adding: “Our top priority is to support our employees through what we know will be a difficult process for all concerned. But this proposal is the right one to give the Pendolino as long a life as possible and preserve as many jobs as possible.”

The company has five sites in the UK, with major locations at the Alstom Traincare Centre in Oxley, Wolverhampton, and a technology centre and training academy in Widnes.

Enjoying RTM? Subscribe here to receive our weekly news updates or click here to receive a copy of the magazine!

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

Rail industry Focus

View all News

Comment

The challenge of completing Crossrail

05/07/2019The challenge of completing Crossrail

With a new plan now in place to deliver Crossrail, Hedley Ayres, National Audit Office manager, major projects and programmes, takes a look at ho... more >
Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

04/07/2019Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

The move to decarbonise the rail network involves shifting to cleaner modes of traction by 2050. David Clarke, technical director at the Railway ... more >

'the sleepers' blog

On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

29/06/2020On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

Following an independent audit, Sulzer’s Nottingham Service Centre has been accepted as part of the rail industry supplier approval scheme (RISAS). The accreditation reinforces the high-quality standards that are maintained by Sulzer’s... more >
read more blog posts from 'the sleeper' >

Interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24/06/2019Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he would not rule out his organisation issuing future r... more >
Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

08/05/2019Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

In answering the pressing questions of how current and future generations of managers can provide solutions to high-profile infrastructure projects across the UK, Pearson Business School, part of... more >