CAF starts work on South Wales train factory
WORK has started on constructing CAF’s new factory in South Wales.
The Spanish manufacturer said it scoured the UK, investigating more than 100 sites, before selecting Celtic Business Park at Llanwern, near Newport.
CAF will be able to build trams, suburban and metro fleets, and inter-city and high-speed trains at the site. The factory will measure 46,000m2, with a floor area of 15,000m2 (the equivalent of two rugby pitches). The internal volume is 167,125m3 (the equivalent of 1,500 double-decker buses).
The factory will create 300 new jobs, according to CAF. The company plans to start recruiting staff in the spring, and offer training and apprenticeships from the autumn. It also plans to support the wider UK rail industry supply chain by developing a ‘cluster’ of local and national companies to supply train parts.
“The factory will have the flexibility to allow us to respond to the exacting demands of both existing and new customers, by providing the most complete offering of any rolling stock provider operating in the UK,” said CAF UK Director Richard Garner.
The Spanish company is currently building 75 Mk 5 coaches for Caledonian Sleeper and 66 Mk 5s for TransPennine Express (TPE), 55 Class 195 diesel multiple units and 43 Class 331 electric multiple units for Northern, and 12 Class 397 EMUs for TPE. CAF also recently won an order for 26 DMUs for West Midlands Trains. These could be built at the Welsh site, although that has yet to be confirmed.
CAF Chief Executive Officer Andrés Arizkorreta recently met with Welsh First Minister Carwyn
Jones and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport Ken Skates, to discuss progress which so far includes the installation of 3,500 precast concrete piles that support the structure. Already some 10,800m3 of excavated material has been reused on the site, saving 1,350 lorry movements on local roads.
The site is owned by St Modwen, with Bowmer & Kirkland the principal contractor. The owner intends to develop Celtic Business Park with more companies.