Train painting firm edges closer to administration

A company which paints new rail carriages at Alstom’s troubled Litchurch Lane site in Derby has edged closer to admimistration

Paintbox Transportation Services, which is part of the Paintbox Group, has posted a second notice of intention (NOI) to appointment administrators, which is aimed at protecting the company from creditor action.

The move follows an initial NOI posted on November 13.

The Paintbox Group had also posted a NOI for its Paintbox Banbury business, which paints and assembles full vehicle and lightweight car body panels. The facility specialises in bespoke vehicle painting and coating of carbon and composite materials.

However, this part of the business was last week sold to PB Editions, a subsidiary of Brightborough Group.

The news comes at a worrying time for all staff at Alstom’s Derby site. The train builder could be set to shed 1,300 jobs and is in the middle of a staff consultation after it emerged that the UK’s largest rail assembly planthas no orders beyond the first three months of next year.

Alstom is set to start work on trains for the London to Birmingham HS2 line in late 2026, but there remains a sizeable workload gap at the factory.