Siemens Mobility said it is entering the “final stages” of building its new assembly plant in Goole, UK. The plant is described by the German firm as a “sister factory” to Siemens’ existing site in Vienna, Austria.
The £200m ($252m) investment to create a “rail village” in the Yorkshire port town will also include a servicing facility, the Rail Accelerator for Innovation Solutions and Enterprise (RaisE) business centre, and the separately-funded Centre of Excellence for Railway Through-Life Engineering (part of the University of Birmingham).
The factory is slated to open in spring 2024, and Siemens Mobility has reaffirmed that 80% of its new London Underground rolling stock will be assembled at the Goole site.
“For the first time Siemens Mobility will assemble trains here, in Britain. This is a truly exciting milestone not just for us but the industry and local economies as a whole,” Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility Sambit Banerjee said.
New rolling stock for London’s Piccadilly line has already entered production and testing, after assembly in Vienna. They are expected to arrive in London for further testing in 2024 before entering passenger service on the Tube in 2025.
The “centrepiece” factory will later be used to assemble all Siemens Mobility’s rolling stock for its UK market.
After the Piccadilly line Inspiro trainsets, this is widely expected to include new trains for the Bakerloo line.
“Subject to long-term certainty on Government funding, the factory in Goole is also expected to deliver a replacement fleet for the Bakerloo line, which at more than 50 years old is the oldest train in passenger service in the UK,” explained Transport for London’s chief capital office Stuart Harvey.
“Producing more Piccadilly line trains in Goole will support local supply chains, clearly demonstrating how investment in transport in London benefits the whole of the UK,” Harvey added.
Siemens Mobility said supporting the local and wider UK economy was a key part of the project.
Leeds-based GMI Construction has led the build of the Goole factory, components facility and warehouse, and the builders explained its supply is UK based, and 70% local to Yorkshire.
The train manufacturer has also partnered with local schools to “ignite interest and curiosity in engineering among local children.”
