BUSINESSES and jobs were lost due to government delays in signing a contract at Britain’s largest train factory, Unite has said.

The £37 million contract to build 10 trains for London’s Elizabeth Line was announced at the weekend, but Alstom had already started a redundancy consultation following a gap in orders at its Derby factory. 

In November, the French-owned firm warned more than 1,300 jobs were at risk, along with many more in the supply chain due to a shortage of work.

The Department for Transport and Transport for London are paying £220.5m for the line’s trains and maintenance until 2046.

Unite said the government’s almost year-long delay in signing the contract has resulted in job losses at Alstom and in its supply chain and contractors for the company going out of business.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government were guilty of being asleep at the wheel. There is a huge need for new trains in this country, but Alstom was being starved of work.”