Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe-based Production Manager NIKKI BONES talks to PHILIP SHERRATT about life at the UK’s newest train factory
My Railway Life
Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe rail vehicle manufacturing facility is impressive. Opened by then Prime Minister David Cameron on 3 September 2015, it now employs 1,000 people, around 99% of whom come from the local area. This is well in excess of the original planned staffing of 730, reflecting how busy the site has already become.
Into this environment came Nikki Bones, who joined Hitachi in May 2016 as production manager for the build of the Class 385 EMUs for ScotRail. Due to enter passenger service later this year, a total of 70 three- and four-car EMUs will be introduced on various routes across the Scottish central belt, starting with the main inter-city link between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
When Nikki joined Hitachi Rail, Newton Aycliffe had already moved to full production of Class 800/801 trains under the Department for Transport’s Inter-city Express Programme (IEP), but as Nikki recalls there were three empty lines in the factory which would become her production line for the ScotRail units.
At the time, Nikki’s team comprised three section leaders, 20 sp…
