County Durham-based Hitachi welcomed Phil Wilson, MP for Sedgefield, to officially open a new building last month at its train factory site in Newton Aycliffe.

The £5 million building — named ‘Aspire’ in a staff competition — will increase the site’s production capacity and takes Hitachi’s investment there to over £100 million.

Established in 2015, the factory is building intercity and commuter fleets, using Japanese bullet-train technology.

Its first order was for the Government-led Intercity Express Programme, which includes the Azuma trains for the East Coast main line.

As well as creating 730 permanent jobs at the factory, Hitachi uses a British supply chain for train parts, involving 1,166 suppliers that employ thousands of people, and 70% of the parts for the intercity trains are sourced within 40 miles of the factory.

Ross Nagle, chief operating officer for manufacturing, said: “Our train-building team is delivering world-class trains to run across the country, and this new building is another step in Newton Aycliffe’s development.

“We are proud to add a new chapter to the region’s rail heritage.”

Mr Wilson said at the opening of the new building: “The ripple effect of Hitachi’s investment is being felt across the North East; for every job created by the company, an additional 1.5 jobs are created nearby.”