DERBY MP Bob Laxton is to take the Derby Telegraph's campaign calling on the Government to protect the future of the city's rail industry to the office of the new Transport Secretary.

The Derby North MP is to pass on a file containing all the evidence gathered in support of the paper's Change Track campaign to Lord Adonis. He will also give a file to the new Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan.

Supporters of the Change Track campaign had been due to meet former Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon last month.

But the meeting was cancelled after Mr Hoon resigned from his post only days before it was due to take place.

Mr Laxton then asked his replacement, Lord Adonis, whether he was willing to meet the Change Track delegation but he declined.

Mr Laxton said: "As a personal arrangement, Geoff Hoon was happy to meet with the delegation.

"But the new Transport Secretary felt things had moved on and because he had not had any involvement in the process he didn't feel inclined to have a meeting. However, I shall be passing the Derby Telegraph's findings to Lord Adonis and Mr Khan."

The Change Track campaign was launched in February following the Department for Transport's decision to name Agility, a consortium led by Japanese train-maker Hitachi, as the preferred bidder for the £7.5bn Intercity Express Programme contract. It was chosen ahead of a consortium headed by Derby train-maker Bombardier.

The file Mr Laxton will hand over contains a 2,467-name petition calling on the Government to support Bombardier and a 27-page business case compiled by the Derby Telegraph.

Mr Laxton said: "I think what the Change Track campaign has done is open up a discussion about the future for rail and the supply chain in this country.

"I will continue to seek assurances that the rail industry will remain here in this city."

The Derby Telegraph's business case sets out a number of questions, which have so far not been answered adequately by the DfT.

These include whether Agility will be able to deliver on its promise of creating or safeguarding 12,500 UK jobs.

It also argues against the fact that 30% of the contract – £2.25bn – will be spent in Japan and not the UK.

And it asks for more details on plans by Agility to open a UK factory and whether the Japanese will transfer its technology to create a proper manufacturing plant.

Most important of all, the business case sets out the threat to Bombardier if the Government decides not to award the company any of its impending contracts.

John Forkin, director of Marketing Derby, a public/private sector organisation set up to promote the city as a place to live, work and invest, has supported the campaign from its inception and was among the original delegation that was due to meet with Mr Hoon.

He said: "The campaign has had tremendous support, particularly from the business community.

"I hope that the Department for Transport will look at our evidence and realise the impact that their decisions have on the wider economy. When it comes to deciding on contracts it should not all be about going for the cheapest deal."

Last year, Bombardier, which employs about 2,500 people in Derby, and thousands more in the supply chain, said that if it did not win major orders in 2009, it would be forced to make redundancies.