£200m train factory ‘will transform the economy in North’
Latest Siemens Yorkshire site to create 700 jobs
A STATE-OF-THE-ART £200m train factory is to be built in Yorkshire in an ambitious move which it has been claimed will transform the North of England’s economy.
Industrial giant Siemens has revealed plans for a 67-acre site in Goole in East Yorkshire, which will manufacture and commission trains primarily for the domestic market. The firm has signed a long-term agreement for the lease of the land involved and construction work could begin as early as this year subject to order requirements.
The firm’s chief executive Juergen Maier said the investment had “the potential to have a tremendous impact on the Yorkshire economy and the North of England as a whole”.
The new factory is set to employ up to 700 people in skilled engineering and manufacturing roles, plus an additional 250 workers during the construction phase.
Those behind the scheme estimate about 1,700 indirect jobs would be created throughout the UK supply chain.
The investment is the second large-scale investment Siemens has made in East Yorkshire, having created a wind turbine factory in Hull.
Mr Maier said: “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 would need to build and operate the factory.
“This investment has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the Yorkshire economy and the North of England as a whole, ensuring that the benefits of infrastructure spending are spread widely and helping to ensure the ongoing development of the UK rail industry.”
The factory will be based at the Goole 36 development next to junction 36 of the M62 and will include manufacturing and commissioning buildings, warehouses, offices and stabling sidings with potential for the development of a test track.
The announcement was welcomed by both political and transport leaders. MP for Goole and 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 their wind turbine facility in Hull.”
John Cridland, chairman of Transport for the North, said the factory will have the potential to compete to provide the trains required to help fulfil his organisation’s strategic transport plan, while Transport Secretary Chris Grayling called the development “an exciting proposal”.
Siemens employs 4,400 in rail and wider transport-related roles in the UK and the new facility will complement the company’s existing eight purpose-built maintenance facilities.
This has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the economy.
Siemens chief executive Juergen Maier.
YORKSHIRE HAS always been proud of its association with the railways and today’s landmark announcement by German manufacturing giant Siemens marks another milestone in this special relationship.
The firm – which is already powering Hull’s renaissance thanks to its green energy plant – now plans to build a new generation of trains on a 67-acre site adjacent to the M62 at Goole. It’s another economic game-changer for the area – the proposed site, which already has outline permission for industrial use, will equate, in size, to 10 football pitches.
Not only is this potential £200m investment another vote of confidence in the East Yorkshire economy – the new factory could employ up to 700 skilled engineers and create a further 1,700 indirect jobs in the supply chain – but it’s also a major boost for UK manufacturing and a railway industry which, in recent times, has chosen to order new trains from overseas.
At a time when a record number of passengers are travelling by train, either through choice or out of necessity, a new generation of rolling stock is needed not only to keep up with this demand but to replace an ageing – and increasingly unreliable – fleet.
From this perspective, Siemens has a proven track record – many of its trains already run on the country’s rail network – and the firm, together with the Department for Transport, East Riding Council and other agencies, deserve credit for recognising the opportunity and then choosing Goole for this prestigious project.
Yet, while the economic benefits will be significant, the skills dividend could be greater if this scheme, together with the new National College For High Speed Rail in Doncaster, convinces young people, and schools, about the value of careers in engineering as a new era for Yorkshire railways gathers pace.