Spanish train manufacturing giant Talgo has announced that Longannet in Fife is its preferred location for a “train factory of the future,” creating at least 1,000 jobs.
The Longannet factory site would initially occupy an area of 70,000+ square metres.
Construction of a factory would take eighteen months.
Additional jobs would be supported during the planning and construction phase.
A second preferred site at Chesterfield will serve as an Innovation Centre and be a focus from which Talgo’s “All Britain” strategy will be developed.
Talgo president Carlos de Palacio said: ‘This has been a tremendously challenging mission for Talgo, and I have personally seen excellence in all corners of the UK.
“It has been a difficult decision to make, as the quality has been so high in so many places.’
‘The establishment of a manufacturing facility at Longannet is a significant part of Talgo’s future strategy.
‘I want to congratulate Paul Lewis and Scottish Enterprise, for bringing together a wide-ranging team of industrialists, academics, politicians, civil servants and development experts.
“Their efforts are a credit to Scotland.”
Paul Lewis, managing director of Scottish Development International said: “With our public and private sector partners, we’ve worked intensively for many months to deliver the optimum proposal and to secure Scotland and Fife as the preferred location for Talgo’s investment, so this announcement today is a great news.
“The quality and skills of the workforce in the Fife area, combined with the strength of the business environment, will help Talgo realise its vision of establishing a world-class high value manufacturing facility for the rail sector, bringing benefits to Fife, Scotland and the UK as a whole.
“We are committed to working with Talgo and our public and private sector partners to realise the considerable benefits from the opportunity that this proposed investment represents.”