Alstom Derby one minute to midnight - MD Nick Crossfield

Alstom Derby one minute to midnight - MD Nick Crossfield | The Big Interview

Рет қаралды 4,786

Күн бұрын

Nick Crossfield, Managing Director of Alstom's UK and Ireland business discusses the background to the desperate situation at the Alstom Derby UK manufacturing train building factory, where closure through lack of orders is a real possibility. It would have devastating consequences for the men and women who work there and on the UK's credibility in global rail vehicle manufacturing.
We discuss how in December last year, Secretary of State Mark Harper committed that a package which included around 90 additional Aventra carriages that could be used to provide much needed extra capacity on London's booming Elizabeth line would be signed, sealed and delivered by the end of January 2024. But that deadline came and went.
We also hear how if the UK government makes the decision to order those extra carriages, Alstom will invest yet more in Derby, with the result that Derby becomes the centre of excellence for Alstom's new electric commuter train worldwide. An export story to be proud of.
This is a story of government and civil service bureaucracy, procrastination and world-class dithering. At stake, around 15 ,000 jobs in the factory as well as the local and regional supply chain. Nick explains how it's still possible to save the factory. But for Derby, it's one minute to midnight.
In this interview:
00:00 Intro
01:55 When did it become clear we were coming to the end at Derby?
04:19 The gap between the end of production now and future work, and what support Alstom was looking for
07:46 Irish Rail mandate for delivery of hybrid commuter trains that could have been built in Derby
10:43 The consultation process
15:15 Waiting for a commitment from Government in January
19:00 No commitment - external supply chain started to 'implode'
21:00 Have we passed the point of no return?
23:41 Elizabeth line trains that we need and that would save Alstom Derby
24:17 Possible global export future for Alstom Derby
27:13 The knife edge between oblivion and global UK train manufacturing excellence
29:52 What kind of rolling stock supply chain do we want in the UK?
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Credits:
Presenters - Nigel Harris (@railnigel on X) & Richard Bowker CBE (@SRichardBowker). General Manager: Stef Foster (@stefatrail)

Пікірлер: 64

@taipizzalord4463 3 ай бұрын

Very insightful. Neglectful of our government to not order more rolling stock.

@mrcogginsgarage7062 3 ай бұрын

Good interview Richard and one that serves to highlight as you so rightly say in your introduction the disgraceful state of dithering that the combination of the DFT & Treasuary are subjecting the whole industry to. Thankyou for throwing a spotlight on this My very best wishes to Nick and all at Derby.

@allanmorton6022 3 ай бұрын

Excellent interview by Richard. So sad we cannot plan long term work for the various industries as boom and bust is a crazy lazy way to operate and causes casualties along the way. Good to hear about positive Derby future if only the plans could be realised. Great to see Green Signals leading the way and holding the government to account for its inaction. You have managed to bring the railway media with you and become the voice of interested railway observers and evangelists and not simply a RAIL magazine offshoot. Great work.

@staffordian 3 ай бұрын

That was a very interesting and revealing interview Richard. Surely even Mark Harper can see that it is a no brainer to award the minimal order needed to ensure Derby's survival? But if that were true he'd surely have done it by now. It amazes me how little the current Government cares about not only UK workers, but about the future prosperity of it's manufacturing base. If they had any sense, this and many other crucial decisions would have been made months ago. Cheers, Rob

@Carlos-im3hn 3 ай бұрын

yes. Also UK has recently made commitment for 40 Advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMR) with X-Energy using Xe-100. Those should provide UK with 80MWe x 40 = 3.2GWe for the next 60 years and have around 10 plants spread across the UK to provide the baseload (95% available) electric power part. This is a UK long-term commitment to electric rail north and south for the future.

@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834 3 ай бұрын

Mark Harper is not his own Boss. The Treasury run the show, guys.

@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834 3 ай бұрын

@@Carlos-im3hn Is it, how?

@markwilliams1735 3 ай бұрын

Excellent interview

@markheer4083 3 ай бұрын

ex agency employee i left mid jan 2024, i enjoyed my time here. was a good place to work overall, i left before my job coming to an end, with just a couple of weeks or so remaining of underframes coming through. I was present at the site meetings hosted by Nick on many occasions , and predicted based on previous form that UK government will do nothing to help. Government are quick to give dodgy contracts to donors and mates, yet nothing to save an historic site employing 1000s of local people. i wish all employees at the site the best for their futures . Derby wont be the same without train building.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Still haven't quite given up hope Mark - but time is definitely short.

@chairmakerPete 3 ай бұрын

Very interesting, if rather depressing to hear how government involvement screws everything up, especially when in this case it doesn't seem to have required anything but a modicum of effort and vision to keep the ship afloat. Thank you, Richard - great content 👍

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Pete. Agreed. Not much effort required - just the ability to make a decision. Haven't given up hope though..... Cheers. R

@katelowes4231 3 ай бұрын

Super stuff. Considerably better than reading social media and listening to worthless MSM client journalists. Pretty clear the magic money tree has shaken its self to benefit unknown beneficiaries. More of this please, great example of thought leadership and professional presentation 👏👏👏🙏

@markheer4083 3 ай бұрын

tory donors doing alright with dodgy contracts,, proof government yet again dont care about the people that they claim to represent.

@Steve050462 3 ай бұрын

Really insightful interview. Can't help but feel that the Govt have kept Alstom hanging on by a string. Seems very endemic of the Govts negative thinking towards the Railway and the wider Industrial base that Alstom support in Derby.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. Appreciate the kind words. Still got fingers crossed though......

@johnmarazani 3 ай бұрын

Well articulated, the government must come to rescue of this rift fall of Derby plant

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Fingers are very much crossed.

@MervynPartin 3 ай бұрын

Very insightful interview. Derby is a real manufacturing plant, as opposed to assembly plants that put together kits of parts from elsewhere. The Government, however is more interested in banking and finance rather than manufacturing, hence the loss of most of the UK's manufacturing in all sectors. There are serious problems with the DfT- like their unwritten policy of anyone but Virgin, they seem to prefer buying anything from Europe rather than buying in Britain. And as Nero fiddled whilst Rome burned, meanwhile, Rishi Sunak.........

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Mervyn, though I'm not sure there is any evidence to support the assertion that they would rather buy from Europe than Britain. I think the issue here is the inability to make a decision having had due regards to all the relevant factors including risk.

@bishwatntl 3 ай бұрын

I suspect there will be no government decision this side of the election. What incentive do they have to do otherwise?

@markheer4083 3 ай бұрын

cus it would look good to the voters, that they are for the working people... this only shows they couldnt give a rats ass

@markstanley979 3 ай бұрын

Great interview and insight.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark. Really appreciate the kind words and feedback.

@chrishall6364 3 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed this video, as did my wife, being Derby residents! Came away feeling sad and angry in equal measure that it has come to this.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Hopefully, a positive outcome is still possible.

@GreenJimll 3 ай бұрын

Why do I suspect that future UK trains will be built in the EU? Another "Brexit boosting British business" benefit?

@apersonthatexists6429 3 ай бұрын

Similar government incompetence in the defence area. Not only will trains be designed, manufactured, and imported, the same is happening with tanks, aircraft and naval equipment.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

The decline in home based manufacturing in such critical areas is a real concern.

@aaronsmith9209 3 ай бұрын

What a maddening situation! We certainly have a lot of need for tons of new trains. Tube trains, replacing pretty much everything on Northern as it's all 30 to 40 years old, it won't be long till the elizabeth line needs its longer 11 car trains as it's already very overcrowded in the peak. The demand for train travel is very much there in this country, the government needs to take it way more seriously. We need a long term plan for the railways, a rolling programme of investment. Electrification across the whole country, new trains, new and restored lines in an integrated plan of new towns and affordable housing estates to simultaneously improve public transport and fix the housing crisis in a sustainable way. At present, we can't even take a fully electrified train to Derby as the midland mainline stops being electric short of Leicester, thats a joke in itself. If the next government doesn't change course and Alstom end up leaving, we'll regret it for a long time, like how we still regret so many of the rail closures of the 60s. We need our industry and to make things. With the current state of the country, it feels like we have no government right now, we really need that general election. We need to learn from this and plan for the future, it doesn't have to end like this.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Not sure I would agree with all of that (very little justification for restored lines apart from a small handful for example) but the current situation in Derby is certainly maddening!

@EdVanMeyer 3 ай бұрын

Under EU 'competition' laws, we were NOT allowed to build trains here for use on our railways, we had to buy from Germany. Sheer Madness.

@GrayJack9 3 ай бұрын

Really interesting interview. Also, really sad. We are looking at massive job losses and manufacturing expertise being lost for ever. That can not ever be a defendable position. I would ask why the company were pushing for future orders only 11 months before the work ran out? Surely that should have been done at least 12 months sooner, to focus minds more quickly and to make sure that everyone understood the position. I recognise that Covid played a part in that, but we can't keep making that excuse, because with a large manufacturing base, including the supply chain, lead times for anything have to be sorted out at least 2 years prior to the orders being in place. These orders represent large Capital investments and they just don't happen overnight. Government seem to be way off in the way they view things and this does speak of a lack of ability at ministerial level, as well as in the relevant ministries' personnel. We have seen in the Covid enquiry and in other reviews how the structure of the senior civil service and in the selection of "Talent" for Government office seems to be anything but business capable.

@peterfinch5077 3 ай бұрын

Train procurement goes in cycles and it is telling that the operator with the oldest fleet, Chiltern, were the operator in ordering the first Class 168s 'saved' Derby in the early years of privatisation. The Class 165s are now older than the heritage DMUs they replaced. Chiltern's Vision 2030 makes the case clearly for new trains.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

But it is possible to contemplate a world where the annual run rate for new vehicles is broadly stable - we do need to get away from this boom and bust cycle.

@briannewton9283 3 ай бұрын

Another absorbing interview, with answers given in a calm, measured and most importantly, intelligible manner, so huge credit to all. Green Signals is definitely the 'go-to' source for plain facts and no nonsense, informed comment that doesn't skirt around the important issues. I've long since ignored anything that MSM reports on the railways, as it's usually drivel! I'm still at a loss to understand why the government as a whole is so openly anti-rail, and which, on the face of it, holds the industry in such low esteem. There are people at every level within the industry who do amazing things and who try to make a difference. I'm sure that they must feel like they are often banging their heads against a brick wall, especially in the current climate. It's ironic that we literally gave railways to the world, and next year we will be celebrating 200 years of railways. As things stands we aren't in an ideal situation leading up towards those celebrations, and I can only hope that there will be just a glimmer that things will improve. Keep up the great work!

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Thank you Brian. Really appreciate the kind words as usual. Totally agree there are people at every level on the industry doing amazing things - every day. Richard

@physiocrat7143 3 ай бұрын

UK train procurement has been mismanaged for decades, going back to the Modernisation Plan; there were lines of locomotives were waiting for scrap in Swindon even though they were less then 10 years old, and then large numbers of the replacement diesels quickly went for scrap. There used to be a steady trickle of new stock with most trains being refurbished for a 35 to 50 year life. Now it is boom and bust. The entire surface fleet of London Underground is now of one type and the same age, due to the premature withdrawal of the D79 stock. This will eventually lead to a sudden requirement for complete replacement. - if the entire fleet is not grounded due to a fault that affects the entire class. The last BR stock eg Networkers and class 158 stock could usefully be refurbished instead of scrapped. The same really applied to other late BR trains such as the class 156 and the HSTs, which in 2010 were surveyed and found to be good until the mid-2030s. Some of the worn out EMU sets could with advantage be converted into locomotive-powered sets, given the extreme high cost of on-train signalling systems. As for batteries - isn't there a safety issue here? It would be nice to have some trains which were as spacious and comfortable as mark 1 coaches. There is a bit of a gap in the market there.

@t9south 3 ай бұрын

So bloody depressing! As usual the short term economic thinking from HM Treasury. Political interest before national interest. I assume it’s more advantageous to bribe voters with tax cuts than actually save manufacturing for future generations.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

It is rather depressing, I agree. Just need a decision and on this occasion, it's one the vast majority of people would agree with.

@robertsteinman4417 Ай бұрын

It's the managemet dong it - I'm a shunter at bombardier and we wait on a trained vehicle mover - sometimes we wait for slackers to push the vehicles now I not is know is legeal but we lost hour Union with Darren so we just do what we do. The problem is the management

@robinscott3210 2 ай бұрын

Its not that long ago the Scottish Gov announced the rail stock manufacturing facility was going to be built by Talco at the site of the FORMER LONGANNET POWER STATION - ANOTHER FAILED PROJECT !

@mikeuk4130 3 ай бұрын

I guarantee that HMG will not go ahead and do what millions of sane people agree is the Right Thing for the UK, the Railway, Alstom and all those thousands of people, all of whom are depending on it. There’s just too big a risk that the plan would succeed!

@1954alister 3 ай бұрын

While I feel so sorry for the workforce at Derby I feel that Alstom are trying to hold a gun to our heads. The Aventra product has been consistently delayed (yes covid intervened) but the trains were beset with software problems. I feel that if they were so committed to the Derby for their new 'global ' product then in the grand scheme of things why would 10 trains make that much of a difference. Yes I would hate to see Derby close but this should have been thought about long before this. The Irish order could have been built here fo when it was starting production then Aventra was still being built but was moved to Poland!!

@andyblack4321 3 ай бұрын

It wasn't moved to Poland, it was won by Alstom before the Bombardier purchase. At that time it didn't own Derby and that particular product is set up to be made in the Polish site. So it was always intended for Poland as the cheapest place to do it. Moving it to Derby at a later stage would be purely to fill the gap, and would cost Alstom to do it (re-tooling, training etc). No new rolling stock orders have been put out to tender since 2019, before the two companies came together. So there wasn't anything Alstom could do to fill the gap other than what is said in the video on Aventra follow on orders.

@chrisgrose5431 3 ай бұрын

Maybe not the right video to watch heading home on a Friday evening. This government really does seem to be a shambles. Hasn’t Huw Merriman accepted an invitation for an interview? Seems to have some questions to answer!

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

Ah, sorry Chris. DIdn't mean to depress. Hopefully some news soon on Huw.

@Phil-ws5jp 3 ай бұрын

All the current government is interested in is Rawander, and in-fighting amongst themselves. We need a fresh government quickly.

@simonaltham9054 3 ай бұрын

A thoroughly depressing interview, but nothing about this governments actions should be any surprise. They cut back on HS2 trains, they dither about adding small add on orders which will keep the plany going and now the supply chain is collapsing. Time for a change in government to get competent ministers into office.

@GreenSignals 3 ай бұрын

It is rather depressing Simon, agreed.

@vduridalternatives 3 ай бұрын

The UK Government is no longer fit for purpose. The political system needs a complete change. Vote Independent at the next election, the only way change will occur...

@markheer4083 3 ай бұрын

so true..