Siemens Mobility is expanding its £200m rail village at Goole in East Yorkshire with a new £7m component facility that will create up to 30 new jobs.

The new facility, which will be built by local firm GMI, will open next year. GMI also built the rest of the Siemens rail village with a 100% British supply chain, over 70% of it based in Yorkshire. This development will further establish Goole as a centre of excellence for rail technology in the UK. With up to £200 million investment from Siemens Mobility, 700 new jobs will be created with a further 250 roles during the construction phase and an additional 1,700 indirect supply chain opportunities.

The new facility will maintain traction drives and motors for Siemens Mobility UK’s train fleets, work that is currently done in Leeds. It will also maintain HVAC air conditioning units, with the maintenance of further train components expected to be confirmed in the future.

Business Minister Lee Rowley signed a steel of the building to mark the occasion, then toured the rail village which includes sites for manufacturing, service businesses, a supplier park, and the RaisE innovation hub, which is a newly opened collaboration and innovation space for SMEs to co-locate. The next phase of RaisE will be a research hub focusing on technology including digital, AI, and decarbonisation technologies.

The minister also viewed mock-ups of new Piccadilly line London Underground trains that are to be built in Goole. and met Siemens Mobility apprentices and representatives of Primary Engineer, which partners with Siemens Mobility to raise awareness of career opportunities in engineering and STEM, working with 13 local schools. Primary Engineer is a programme designed to ignite interest and curiosity in engineering among children from a young age.

Speaking in Goole, Minister for Industry Lee Rowley said:

“The government is working to unlock private investment to forge new opportunities for industry across the UK, and it’s fantastic to see Siemens Mobility’s commitment to Goole form a part of that.

“This Rail Village will keep East Yorkshire at the cutting edge of the rail industry, creating jobs and driving growth for businesses in the supply chain. Its use of British-made steel and commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineers by working with schools means this project embodies the very best of British manufacturing.”

Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director for Rolling Stock said:

“It is great to be able to show the minister our rail village and discuss with him the positive and lasting impact Siemens Mobility want to have in Goole. The rail village is a prime example of how investment in rail can support jobs and growth and help level up the UK. The rail village will establish Goole as a centre of expertise for the whole industry, and I’m sure that the next generation of decarbonisation and digital technologies will be developed here.”

Lee Powell, CEO of GMI Construction Group PLC, said:

“We are committed to bringing added value to the projects we deliver, which includes utilising the talent and capabilities of local supply chain businesses. From within our wholly British supply chain, two thirds of the companies we have brought to this flagship project are Yorkshire-based, supporting local jobs, and keeping a strong proportion of the financial value of the development in the region.”