HUNDREDS of protestors are travelling from Derby to London today, to renew their call for the government to think again over the award of the £1.4 billion Thameslink rolling stock contract to Siemens rather than Bombardier, which would have built the 300 trains in Derby. A new survey has confirmed fears that thousands of jobs are now at risk.
The demonstrators have travelled by special train to London, and will be on hand when the transport select committee takes oral evidence today as part of its inquiry into rolling stock procurement.
Witnesses called include UK Bombardier chief Colin Walton, Siemens UK managing director Steve Scrimshaw, Railway Industry Association chief executive Jeremy Candfield and the transport secretary Philip Hammond.
He has defended the controversial decision to award the contract to Siemens, claiming that its bid offered best value for money, but it has emerged that the wider effects on the British economy of excluding Bombardier had not been taken into account, even though this would have been permissable under European procurement law.
A survey sponsored by the union Unite has revealed that of 125 firms questioned, almost half are planning to cut the size of their workforces if Siemens does build the Thameslink fleet.
Siemens has yet to sign the contract, and is currently preferred bidder, with completion due in November.
Apart from the scrutiny of the transport committee, the government may also face another hurdle next month, when a preliminary report into the decision is due from the National Audit Office.
If the NAO does report flaws in the procurement process, it will then move on to a full inquiry, which is expected to be published early in 2012.
In the event of a full NAO inquiry going ahead, whether the government could then realistically sign the Siemens contract in the meantime would remain to be seen.