Train-making plant may be steaming into Fife

Longannet in Fife will now battle it out with Chesterfield as the location for a new train-building plant that could employ up to 1,000 workers.

An artists impression of Talgos new Avril UK train that could be seen on some of Britains future high speed railway lines. Image: Contributed

Spanish firm Talgo announced last year that it was looking at possible sites for a factory and released a shortlist of six locations last month, including Longannet and Hunterston on the Ayrshire coast. That has now been whittled down to just two. A final decision on a factory site is anticipated around the middle of the month.

Talgo is a specialised rolling stock engineering company mainly focused on designing, manufacturing and servicing fast, lightweight trains with an industrial presence in 28 countries.

Carlos de Palacio, president of Talgo and the grandson of the company’s founder, said: “The establishment of a manufacturing facility in the UK is a significant part of Talgo’s future strategy. Talgo’s aim is to establish true manufacturing – rather than assembling from parts made elsewhere.”