This Budget wasn't focussed on big giveaways, but it contained some clear and important commitments on transport.
At Alstom we warmly welcome the Chancellor using this opportunity to back both Crossrail 2 and HS3. These are important projects, supported by the National Infrastructure Commission, and vital for UK growth.
Already, Alstom is a key part of the team building Crossrail 1 under London. As part of the ATC joint venture we are busily fitting out the tunnels being bored under the streets of the Capital. We are resurgent in the UK and enthusiastic to bring our experience to bear on these new projects too, building new rolling stock, infrastructure and railway systems.
There's never been a more exciting time to be a supplier in this country. But it's about more than just the projects themselves, it's about a commitment to the future of the industry itself.
Investment has been much needed for some time. As an industry we must not simply look to win these contracts and build these projects and then pack up at the end. I passionately believe we must use them to kick-start a new wave of UK innovation, manufacturing and exporting.
That's why I believe the Chancellor's announcements on skills and apprenticeships are just as important for the rail industry as the headline projects themselves
At Alstom we are putting our money where our mouths are with plans for a new training academy in Widnes soon to be in front of the local council's planning committee. We hope to build on that investment in the future, creating hundreds of fantastic new opportunities for people across the north of the country.
An important Budget for our sector, indeed.
