300 jobs under threat as Wabtec Doncaster to close

Wabtec has announced that it is to close its Doncaster facility, ending more than a century of rail manufacturing at the site.

The news was broken in an address to staff on February 7 by Wabtec’s UK Group Managing Director and Regional Vice President Tim Bentley. Wabtec later confirmed that nearly 300 jobs could be at risk.

A period of statutory consultation will begin in the coming weeks, with a Wabtec spokesperson adding: “Following a comprehensive review of the product lines and cost challenges at the Doncaster plant, our proposal is to complete our current projects, then withdraw from the vehicle maintenance market in the UK and close the site.”

The company also confirmed that part of the statutory consultation will include reviewing whether the remaining component production could be located at another UK location, with Wabtec’s facility at Derby a possibility.

It would also not rule out moving some of the component production to a nearby site. It is understood that not all jobs at the site will be lost.

Doncaster Central MP Sally Jameson said it was a huge disappointment and a “continuation of sad news following voluntary redundancies in 2020”.

She added: “I am in contact with Unite and will offer my full support to constituents affected. I hope a solution can be found so that the local workforce can be protected and their presence in Doncaster can continue.”

Doncaster’s mayor Ros Jones echoed these sentiments: “It is of course disappointing to hear that Wabtec are consulting on their future in Doncaster. We are mindful of their operating circumstances. We do hope that a solution can be found that safeguards the local workforce and continues their presence in Doncaster.”

When approached by RAIL, Doncaster Council did not comment on the situation.

The site, known locally as ‘The Plant’, has a storied past with many of the most famous locomotives in railway history passing through the factory’s doors - including Flying Scotsman (built at the works in 1923) and Mallard (built in 1938).

At the height of the site’s productivity, it employed just under 5,000 people and covered just over 200 acres.

However, it has gradually shrunk in size throughout the years, after being sold by British Rail in 1987. Bombardier closed its part of the site in 2007, with the repair shop demolished to make way for housing in 2008.

Wabtec has struggled to maintain an order book at the site for several years, with many maintenance contracts moving to other sites it owns across the country - including its modern works site at Derby and nearby at Barton-under-Needwood.

It sold its former Andrew Barclay and Sons site in Kilmarnock to Brodie Engineering in 2020.