Siemens has revealed plans for a new £6m rail innovation hub to support its £200m train factory in East Yorkshire.
The centre, which would be built in Goole, would focus on research and development, with an aim to accelerate technology used in the rail industry.
If approved, the development would accompany Siemens Mobility’s planned £200m rail facility in Goole.
Outline planning permission for that project was approved by East Riding Council last year.
Sambit Banerjee, managing director for rolling stock and customer services at Siemens Mobility, said: “We have been working closely and collaboratively with partners to bring these exciting proposals forward.
“As well as accommodating support teams for our new rail manufacturing facilities, this building and other later related facilities will offer significant benefits to partners from industry and academia.
“This is the first phase of development of a cluster of facilities focused on innovation and research and development that will create a high-tech centre of excellence for the UK rail industry.
“The objectives of RaisE are consistent with our ambitions to establish a world-class rail village at Goole, combining manufacturing facilities with digital-led innovation to drive technological advances across the rail network and industry.”
The centre is proposed to be built at the Goole 36 enterprise zone site, close to junction 36 of the M62 motorway, and is aimed at accelerating the adoption of technology within the rail industry.
The £6m building will be the first phase of an innovation cluster known as the Rail Accelerator and Innovation Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE), which will complement the £200m rail manufacturing facility.
In 2019, Siemens Mobility secured outline planning permission from East Riding Council for 80,000 sq m (860,000 sq ft) of manufacturing, commissioning, warehouse buildings and stabling sidings, as well as offices.
Siemens is currently finalising detailed plans for the manufacturing facilities, which are expected to be submitted to the council early this year.
Pending approval for those plans, construction is expected to begin by early summer, with the first phase of manufacturing facilities scheduled to open in 2023.
A planning application for the new innovation hub has been submitted to East Riding Council by property developer Wykeland Group, on behalf of Siemens Mobility.
Dominic Gibbons, managing director at Wykeland Group, said: “We are delighted to be working closely with Siemens Mobility as the development partner for this exciting facility.
“The RaisE centre will provide a first-class environment for innovation and collaboration and also set the quality benchmark for the further development of this key, strategic site.”
RaisE is being supported by a network of partners from the UK rail industry and higher education, with a key focus on providing research and development support.
It will also offer a high-quality facility for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), predominantly linked to rail industry supply chains and include spaces for collaboration, possibly on a cross-sector basis.
