Train manufacturer CAF has signed an agreement to use the testing and innovation facility being developed at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) in South Wales.

Although Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is a Spanish company, it will use the facilities at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence for testing rolling stock and technology, development of digital signalling, and wider product innovation.

The agreement was signed by GCRE Chief Executive Simon Jones, CAF Commercial Director Julen Barrutia, and CAF UK Director Richard Garner.

The Global Centre of Rail Excellence is a major new research, testing and certification facility for rolling stock, infrastructure and new technologies being constructed at the former Nant Helen opencast mine and Onllwyn washery in The Dulas Valley in South Wales.

The site is just 45 miles from a CAF manufacturing facility at Newport where new trains for Transport for Wales are being constructed.

The agreement will enable CAF to use the site for its rolling stock and digital signals testing.

Among other developments, CAF will use the site for fleet maintenance, staff training and development of ten long-distance tri-mode trains that it will be constructing for London North Eastern Railway to use on the East Coast mainline.

CAF are one of the major names in global rail and its fantastic to develop this partnership at our new facility in South Wales. The facilities and services we will have available at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence site will support the development of CAFs next generation rolling stock and the innovative new traction technologies they are working on.

It’s great news that CAF have recently been announced as the supplier of ten long-distance tri-mode trains for London North-Eastern Railway (LNER) to be used on the East Coast mainline. We look forward to supporting CAF with its rolling stock testing programme.

In particular, our unique to Europe infrastructure testing facilities will support CAF with high quality signals testing and new digital product development, opening up new commercial opportunities for the company, particularly in the transition to net zero. As the UK and Europe move towards decarbonisation, the facilities that GCRE can provide become ever more critical.

With CAF having a production facility in Newport, not far from the GCRE site, this collaboration makes a lot of sense and we are looking forward to working with the company in the different areas of work and high quality innovation they are involved in.

This is a long-term partnership and further highlights the growing commercial confidence in the Global Centre of Rail Excellence as more blue-ribband international manufacturers and operators sign up as customers at our world class facility.

Simon Jones GCRE Chief Executive

We have worked with GCRE since its inception and formalising our relationship is the natural next step. GCRE will be a unique facility and we are fortunate to have it so close to our manufacturing facility in Newport.

We look forward to collaborating with GCRE on research and development programmes and growing the rail industry in Wales.

Richard Garner, CAF UK Director

We’re incredibly excited about the partnership and in particular the opportunity it presents for us to test our trains locally.

We believe GCRE will become a hub, a key asset for the rail industry, a place where the next generation for rail technologies will be developed and tested.

We are looking forward to being part of that community.

Julen Barrutia, CAF Commercial Director