Bombardier Transportation (uk.bombardier.com/en/home.html) is to create 150 jobs after winning a number of new contracts. The train manufacturer said that most of the new jobs will be in engineering and project management, with 80% of them expected to be based in Derby.

The decision to take on more staff follows the group winning the London Crossrail contract last year, along with orders to extend London Overground trains from four to five carriages.

The plans were announced during a visit by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, during which he also outlined a six-point long-term economic plan for the Midlands that included job creation.

George Osborne said: “We want to make the Midlands an engine for growth by backing the core strengths of the local economy, like engineering and manufacturing. That is what the long-term economic plan we have set out for the Midlands today is all about.

Bombardier’s expansion is great news for the people of Derby and confirms their track record in growing and creating high skilled jobs in Britain.” Bombardier employs 3,500 people at its eight sites across the UK, with 1,600 of them based in Derby.