ABB RAIL VEHICLES LTD, YORK

That this House recognises the long history of the rail works at York which have been established for more than 150 years and currently employ 750 highly skilled engineering workers; notes with dismay the British Railways Board's statement of 10th January 1995 that orders will not be placed with ABB York for new Networker trains in the Network South East Kent area, even though existing rolling stock is up to 40 years old and despite the acknowledgement by Network South East's Chief Executive, Mr John Nelson, that with trains of this age 'it is not a case of a mid-life crisis, but it is the last rites'; further notes that the decision means more years of misery for Kent commuters, and puts at risk of closure the ABB York works; recognises that such a closure would mean yet another erosion of Britain's industrial base; further recognises that rolling stock replacement is inevitable within five years, that 6,000 vehicles on Network South East alone have to be replaced in the next 10 years, and that these future orders will have to be placed with foreign competitors unless facilities such as the one at York are preserved; notes that approximately ú700 million has been spent by Her Majesty's Government on rail privatisation and that this expenditure has added not one engine or carriage to the rail network; condemns Her Majesty's Government for failing to provide sufficient funds to enable an order to be placed now with ABB York for Networker trains; and calls for immediate and urgent action by Her Majesty's Government to ensure the disaster in Britain's manufacturing industry that would be caused by ABB York's closure can be avoided.