Hitachi train factory investment hailed as 'new Nissan'
An impression of the new Inter City express trains that Hitachi will be building in Newton Aycliffe.
You wait for ages for a big job announcement, and then you get two in a week.
is the news that the North East has been waiting for.
The Government has confirmed that it will be pressing ahead with plans to buy new Inter City Express trains.
That means , which is owned by , will be basing itself in Newton Aycliffe, .
It's hoped that will also create thousands more indirectly in the local supply chain.
County Durham has waited a long time for an announcement that was repeatedly delayed.
At one stage, it looked like the work could go to in Derby instead.
But there has been some assiduous campaigning in the North East, not least from the .
Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson has been among those campaigning for investment in the new trains.
The Transport Secretary Philip Hammond acknowledged the work put in by Mr Wilson and other campaigners from County Durham after his announcement in the Commons.
Indeed there has been political unanimity across the board in the region in support of the plans.
And there even appeared to be some cross-party love in the chamber as Darlington MP Jenny Chapman tweeted that she could "kiss Philip Hammond" when he delivered the news.
As Philip Hammond pointed out in his announcement, the news comes just days after the . The company plans to create 800 new jobs there.
The Government will say this proves that they are right to place their faith in the private sector to provide new jobs in the North East (although of course the train contract was conditional on the spending of public money).
Both the steel sale and the train investment do represent a shot in the arm for the region.
Nobody knows though yet whether these two very good news stories will be enough to offset the public sector job losses that will gather pace in the months to come.
Nevertheless, it gives the Government a chance to point to its support for the North East. ( as I suggested he'd planned to, even if it was a couple of days late).
The Stockton South MP James Wharton has also dubbed Hitachi's train factory as a "new Nissan". He points out that was investment which was also made under a Conservative government (although he seems to have forgotten that his party is in coalition now).
Labour though will say that the credit belongs to the , and point out that this investment was originally planned by the previous government.
Whoever you want to thank though, the region is getting some badly-needed jobs.
I'm Richard Moss, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
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