Insider Media Limited

The UK faces the prospect of having to import "every train, tram and tube, which will cost as many as 30,000 British jobs". That’s the message from Marketing Derby’s managing director, John Forkin, as Bombardier announced it was to axe 1,400 jobs from its Derby plant this morning. The workers were handed their fate after Bombardier failed to secure the government's lucrative Thameslink contract.

Forkin spoke to Insider following an emergency delegate meeting in Berlin with Bombardier’s global bosses on Friday 1 July. However, it seems their pleas were not enough to save the UK's last train manufacturer in its entirety, as Bombardier announced this morning it would cut 446 permanent jobs and 983 temporary jobs from its 3,000 strong Derby workforce.

In a statement, Bombardier said: "The loss of the Thameslink contract, which would have secured workload at this site, means that it is inevitable that we must adjust capacity in line with economic reality.

"We regret this outcome but without new orders we cannot maintain the current level of employment and activity at Derby."

As reported by Insider last week, a delegation of Derby’s civic and business leaders flew to the German capital, which is home to the headquarters of the world’s largest train builder.

The delegated traveled to assess the company’s response to being turned down by the UK government for the £1.2bn Thameslink contract. Instead it was awarded to German manufacturer Siemens.

Forkin said the country now had two months to save its rail manufacturing sector.

"The government said they are carrying out a review of all UK operations which will be complete at the end of August. They can see little point in staying in the UK and if they do go then that will mark the end of 170 years of making trains, as Bombardier is last man standing," he said.

"Bombardier is number one in the world for making trains, number two in Germany and number one in France, yet the officials at the Department for Transport seem to have a blind spot to them having awarded nearly £10bn of contracts abroad in the past few years."

He said the reality of importing transportation could cost the taxpayer £30bn over the next 20 years along with 30,000 British jobs.

Last week business secretary Vince Cable and transport secretary Philip Hammond wrote to the Prime Minister asking for the train procurement process to be amended to be more akin to practice across the EU where most contracts stay within national borders.

Later this week the Derby leaders will move onto a proposed meeting at number 10 Downing Street to press their case.

"The clock is ticking and we don’t have time for bureaucratic dancing," said Forkin. "The only hope is for the PM to overrule his civil servants by calling in the Thameslink decision and demanding we commission in the same way as the our EU partners."