TALGO UK will take advice from Government should a bid be secured for work to begin at Longannet.

The Spanish train manufacturer is hoping to build a plant at the former power station site which will see 1,000 direct jobs created.

The coronavirus epidemic has raised questions over what will happen this year if Talgo secures a train-building tender in the coming months.

A spokesperson told the Press that while the process was still at the bidding stage, it would depend on the client's wishes when to proceed.

They said: "It may be the case that they delay their order, or, if they want the work to begin straightaway, we'll take advice from the government on how best to proceed.

"The whole timescale is quite literally not in our hands.

"We have bids around the world and it will depend on what the practicalities are in terms of delivering for the client.

"We're in the lap of the client's requirements but even then it will depend on what the government and medical advice is.

"The safety and wellbeing of our workers is absolutely paramount."

Talgo is currently on the shortlist to provide trains for the HS2 railway project, a contract worth £2.7 billion.

It is one of a number of projects around the world that Talgo are pursuing currently.

Once a bid has been accepted, work will begin on building their Longannet train plant.

Jon Veitch, managing director, Talgo UK, told the Press that 'working from home' protocols were introduced "weeks ago" for all but essential staff.

He said: "Talgo has a presence in 44 countries. In common with our operations elsewhere, at this time of global crisis, our first priority is to ensure the welfare of our people, and then to take into account the local requirements of any particular government and associated medical advice.

"We began to implement 'working from home' protocols some weeks ago, for all but essential staff.

"The nature of our operation means that we already have extensive video conferencing and 'collaboration at a distance'.

"However, we cannot trivialise this emergency.

"Where our people are agreed to be essential, they have been provided with appropriate protective gear and have been well-briefed on the discipline of separation and appropriate sanitisation.

"Our teams continue to plan for the future. There are a number of opportunities around the world that we continue to work on remotely.

"The timing of delivery of those opportunities will ultimately be determined by length of the pandemic, the medical and legislative requirements, and the needs of prospective clients."

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