- LONDON: Canadian aircraft and train maker Bombardier is to cut jobs at its plant in Derby, central England, after losing out to German group Siemens in the battle for a big British government contract, a source said.
Bombardier said it would issue a statement regarding its Derby operation, which employs 3,000 people.
“The announcement will be about jobs going,” a source with knowledge of the matter said.
“It is directly linked to the decision made on the Thameslink contract.”
In June, Britain awarded a consortium led by Siemens a contract to build and maintain 1,200 train carriages on London’s key Thameslink commuter rail service as part of a 6 billion pound ($9.6 billion) upgrade of a line which links Brighton on the south coast to commuter towns north of London via the center of the capital.
Sky News reported on Monday that Bombardier planned to axe 2,000 jobs, or a third of its workforce at the Derby plant, as a result of losing out on the Thameslink contract.
The source said the figures reported by Sky were incorrect but would not say if the eventual figure would be higher or lower.