Siemens UK factory
Up to 700 jobs could be created as Siemens plans a £200 million train manufacturing facility in Goole.
SIEMENS plans to build a train factory at Goole.
The facility in the East Riding of Yorkshire could cost up to £200 million. Development is planned to start later this year on the 67-acre site, if investment conditions are met and subject to success in future orders.
The factory will be located at the Goole 36 development, next to Junction 36 on the M62. Plans include manufacturing and commissioning buildings, warehouses, offices, stabling sidings, and the potential to develop a test track.
MP for Goole & Brigg Andrew Percy said: “This has the potential to be transformative for our area and for local young people. It also builds on Siemens’ other recent investment in East Yorkshire, with its wind turbine facility in Hull.”
Up to 700 jobs could be created, along with a further 250 jobs during construction. Siemens said around 1,700 indirect jobs would be created through the UK supply chain.
“We’ve said for some time that future success for Siemens in the rail industry would see us opening a rail manufacturing plant here, and this announcement provides additional substance to those words,” said Siemens UK Chief Executive Juergen Maier.
“Having considered multiple locations in the UK, I’m delighted to confirm that we’ve identified a site in Goole for our new UK rail factory, which not only has the potential scale we need for a facility of this size, but also ready access to the skilled people we’d need to build and operate the factory.”
Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said: “This exciting proposal by Siemens underlines the benefits of this government’s £13 billion investment into improving and modernising Northern transport, providing major firms with the fast, reliable connections required to recruit a skilled workforce and deliver cutting-edge innovation.”
Gordon Wakeford, Siemens UK Managing Director of the Mobility Division, said: “We have been a major part of the UK rail industry for over 20 years, and have already invested hundreds of millions in our facilities, our people and technology over the past five years alone.
“This proposed major new investment cements our company’s desire to further its presence in the UK’s rail market, and underpins the ongoing importance of the market here to our rail business globally.”
The company has delivered 3,310 vehicles for the UK. Manufacturing has largely taken place in Krefeld (Germany), with construction also carried out in Vienna and Prague.
Siemens has recently completed an order for 30 five-car Class 707s for Angel Trains (used on South Western Railway) and 34 eightcar Class 374 Velaros for Eurostar (operated as 17 pairs). Still being delivered are the final Class 700s from a 1,140-vehicle order for Thameslink, while deliveries will soon start on Govia Thameslink Railway Class 717s. ■