Siemens Mobility's Goole rail village awarded £15m for engineering centre of excellence

Goole has been chosen as one of two sites in the UK for university-led research into railway robotics and automation.
Alexandra Wood
By Alexandra Wood
Published 11th Jul 2023, 11:31 BST
Updated 11th Jul 2023, 17:36 BST

Birmingham University has been awarded £15m for the Centre of Excellence for Railway Through-Life Engineering, which will be built in a “rail village” being developed by Siemens Mobility in the town.

The £200m site will host a new train factory in an area spanning the size of 35 football pitches.

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It is expected to create up to 700 skilled jobs and manufacturing of new Piccadilly line Tube trains is due to begin next year.

Artist's impression of the new facility at the rail village in GooleArtist's impression of the new facility at the rail village in Goole
Artist's impression of the new facility at the rail village in Goole

Birmingham University will invest £16m on top of the £15m grant awarded by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF).

It will be working with the University of Huddersfield on the new facility, which should open in 2025.

Researchers will work on the build, service, maintenance, and modernisation of railway rolling stock with a focus on robotics, sensing, and automation.

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Sambit Banerjee, managing director of Siemens Mobility UK Rolling Stock and Customer Services, said: “This is fantastic news, not just for Goole but the rail industry as a whole.

The University of Birmingham has been awarded £15 million to establish a railway research and innovation centre at GooleThe University of Birmingham has been awarded £15 million to establish a railway research and innovation centre at Goole
The University of Birmingham has been awarded £15 million to establish a railway research and innovation centre at Goole

"Our vision was always much more than just building a train factory, we want to have a full rail village for the industry and to create a lasting skills legacy in Goole.

"Bringing academia, with the Universities of Birmingham and Huddersfield and industry, together in one site is exactly the kind of opportunity that will continue to foster collaboration and innovation across the UK rail industry as well as support the economy.”

Professor Clive Roberts, Director of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, said: “With the new factory and centre of excellence underway we are determined to build, grow, and innovate the UK railway system.”

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Council leader Anne Handley said as well as the R&D jobs it would create admin and office roles – and opportunities for children currently attending school. A second grant of £15m was awarded by UKRPIF for a Centre of Excellence for Railway Testing, Validation and Customer Experience in South Wales.

Related topics:Goole