It’s all go for Goole in 2022 and beyond, it would seem, with Siemens Mobility heading to the port town to invest an incredible £200 million in a state-of-the-art factory that will manufacture and commission trains – and give the East Riding of Yorkshire economy a very significant boost indeed.
The facility is due to open in 2023, forming part of a rail village that will also feature a dedicated section of the site designed to support local biodiversity and wildlife, with a habitat enhancement area.
Work in this regard will include the thinning of overdense woodland and scrub areas, which should hopefully encourage ground flora diversity. In addition, an open water wetland area is going to be developed, and bird and bat nesting boxes are going to be set up.
The factory will start making tube trains for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line. In November 2018, Transport for London signed a £1.5bn contract with Siemens Mobility to design and build 94 new generation tube trains to replace the existing 1970s fleet on the line… and, all being well, work will soon get going apace!
Finbarr Dowling, director of localisation, explained just how the team here at Invest East Yorkshire helped the company see its plans for Goole come to fruition. He said:
“We had also worked with the Invest East Yorkshire team in relation to our investment in offshore wind in the area so had confidence the team could deliver what we needed”.
We actually had a big hand in the selection of Goole for the site, with Siemens considering various places around the UK. But after we presented them with a bespoke package of support, covering planning guidance, labour market development, supply chain linkages and the opportunity to scale up their initial investment, the decision was made… Goole it was to be!
If you’d like to find out more about how Invest East Yorkshire can help you develop your business in the future, get in touch with us today.
