A SPANISH manufacturer is bidding for the contract to make train carriages for the UK Government's HS2 project at a Fife factory.
Talgo hopes to build the carriages at the former Longannet power station, near Kincardine in Fife, and says doing so would bring 1000 jobs to the area.
The UK Government does not plan for the HS2 rail project – a high-speed railway which will connect London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds – to Scotland.
The SNP have been critical of Westminster for not showing commitment to improving travel links between England and Scotland.
The party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford urged Westminster to consider bringing the jobs to Fife. He said: “If the Prime Minister is serious about bringing investment to Scotland, he should sign the contract which would see HS2 trains built in Scotland.
“If accepted, Talgo’s bid to the UK Government for HS2 would see 1000 jobs to Longannet in the west of Fife.
“The UK Government’s plans for the high-speed rail project, which was confirmed this week, have so-far been short-sighted; the Prime Minister has failed to show a commitment to rail connectivity across these islands. Boris Johnson needs to engage with the Scottish Government to improve rail links from Scotland to the major cities in the North of England such as Manchester, Newcastle and beyond, rather than stopping the line at Birmingham.
“With the UK Government seeking a review of the second phase to build the line in the north of England, Scotland must not be left last in line.”
Work on HS2 is expected to start officially next month. It will be nearly a year on from the originally planned start date after the proposals were plagued by delays and increasing costs.
Whoever wins the multi-billion-pound contract to build the HS2 carriages will need to produce 54 trains for the first phase of the line, which is going to link England's capital with Birmingham and Crewe.
Talgo's UK managing director Jon Veitch said the company's planned Longannet site is expected to be in operation in 2021 and could look to win contracts for projects other than HS2.
He said: “Originally it was contingent on securing HS2 but if there are other orders then we will be ready to start manufacturing trains in Longannet."
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