On 13th May 2021 the House of Lords considered the recent train delays caused by defects in the Hitachi stock.
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I declare an interest as a regular LNER user—indeed, I experienced disruption to the service on my trip down from Darlington. While it is essential that the defects are addressed, I am very aware of the jobs and investment brought to County Durham by Hitachi. Can the Minister confirm that this issue will not impact the investment in the region and the security of the jobs?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con): My Lords, in general, Hitachi trains have an incredibly good track record. Hitachi built the bullet trains in Japan, which, as noble Lords will know, have an exemplary safety record, and it has a very high engineering pedigree. While it will of course be up to Hitachi’s customers to decide where they make their purchases in the future, I for one believe that that sort of pedigree will not be diminished by these events.
Rail Disruption: Social and Economic Impacts – Thursday 13 May 2021 – Hansard – UK Parliament
The Church of England in Parliament 