Hammond: Bombardier should bid for Crossrail

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Train manufacturer Bombardier should bid for contracts for the Crossrail project, linking east and west London, the Commons has heard.

Transport secretary Philip Hammond said the Derby-based train manufacturer should try to win the deal to supply trains for the £16bn rail project being built beneath central London.

Speaking during departmental questions, Hammond said there were a "number of contracts the government would expect Bombardier to bid for".

He told MPs these included the Crossrail project for the supply of "around 600 carriages, for which Bombardier is already a pre-qualified bidder."

"The tender for this contract is due to be issued in 2012. There are also potential future orders for the London Underground deep Tube line."

Bombardier missed out on the contract to build trains for Thameslink, with German firm Siemens winning the deal, putting at risk 1,400 jobs.

Hammond was responding to Labour MP Steve Rotheram (Liverpool Walton) who pressed the minister on what assessment the department has made of the ability of British-based train manufacturers to win contracts for rolling stock.

Rotheram hit out at the government's "disastrous decision" to award the Thameslink contract to German firm Siemens.

But Hammond blamed the previous Labour administration for setting the criteria for awarding such deals.

He told MPs: "I sometimes have the feeling I'm talking to a brick wall on this subject.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: the criteria by which the bids were to be evaluated were laid down in 2008 by the then government."

Duncan Hames (Lib Dem, Chippenham) pressed Hammond on what steps are being taken to recognise UK manufacturing talent.

He highlighted Inventis, who should be congratulated for winning a signaling contract.

In response, Hammond said he expected tenders to be evaluated on their merits, including Bombardier and Inventis.

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle called for Bombardier to be selected to build the Crossrail carriages as she called for an update on the completion of the project.

Hammond said the Crossrail procurement process had not started yet.

Simon Hart (Con, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire) pressed the transport secretary on what assessment he has made of recent trends in levels of rail travel.

Hammond told the chamber that passenger travel had risen to an all-time high.

Labour MP Denis MacShane seized the opportunity to criticise Hammond's recent comments that train travel was just for the rich.

Speaking at a committee hearing earlier this week, the transport secretary said described the railways as a "rich man's toy" and admitted many factory workers were unlikely to use High Speed 2.

The Rotherham MP said: "It could only be made by one of our rich, southern millionaires from the Cabinet.

"If you came to Rotherham you would see plenty of not rich people."

He said that commuters in his constituency faced losing their local ticket office, adding: "Many of my commuters don't do computers, need help, need aid - that ticket office at Rotherham station has to stay."

In response, Hammond said technology meant more tickets would be sold online and via mobile phones, but admitted some passengers would still need help buying tickets through "an assisted channel".

Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert asked if an 8 per cent increase in rail fares was too much for people to deal with.

The transport secretary said the increase in rail fares was necessary to protect programmes for modernisation and rolling stock.

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