Hundreds of jobs, faster tube journeys and regional growth will
be delivered thanks to a new rail manufacturing plant officially
opened by Transport Secretary today (3 October).
The Secretary of State will attend Siemens' Rail Village in Goole
to celebrate the formal opening of its new £200 million
site.
The plant will be home to hundreds of high-skilled jobs where
almost 100 new state-of-the-art Piccadilly Line trains will be
manufactured and assembled.
In a further boost to the region, Siemens Mobility is also
announcing up to a further £40 million towards a new Bogie
Assembly and Service Centre at the site which will create up to
200 extra jobs.
The world class hub has been made possible by the Government's
funding settlements with TfL, giving Siemens the confidence to
invest in the site.
It represents the scale of what can be achieved through joint
public and private sector support – and underlines the
Government's commitment to attracting international investment.
The grand opening comes ahead of the Government's International
Investment Summit on 14 October, which will bring together some
of the world's most influential companies and major
investors.
The summit will be an opportunity for the Prime Minister and
Cabinet to outline how the Government will provide the certainty
and opportunities businesses need to make Britain the best place
in the world to invest.
The government is focused on creating the conditions for
businesses to invest, through trust partnership and stability. We
will fix the foundations by investing in the jobs, industries and
infrastructure of the future to rebuild Britain and make
everyone, everywhere better off.
As part of this drive, the Transport Secretary is working to end
the ‘boom and bust' approach to rail manufacturing by delivering
a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock.
Transport Secretary, said:
“This impressive, world-class facility will be transformational
to Goole and its people, providing a boost to the region's
economy and supporting hundreds of skilled jobs.
“Its opening demonstrates the importance of high quality,
long-term investment to pave the way for employment and growth.
“I know how vital rail manufacturing is to our economy, which is
why we will not sit on our hands when it comes to supporting it.
For too long, the cycle of boom-and-bust has held back this
sector.
“That's why I am determined to put an end to the stop-start
approach to investment and provide the industry with the
certainty it needs to deliver a railway that is fit for the
future.”
The new Piccadilly Line trains are expected to start serving the
London Underground network next year, delivering a boost to
reliability, extra services for passengers and increased
capacity.
They will be fully air-conditioned and more accessible, creating
more comfortable journeys for the travelling public.
Mayor of London, said:
“This train manufacturing facility in Goole is a fantastic
example of the expertise we don't have and how investment in
London benefits the whole country. This factory, where the new
state-of-the-art Piccadilly line trains will be built, will
create up to 900 direct jobs and support another 1,700 in
the supply chain, delivering great benefits to the wider UK
economy, showing that where London succeeds, the whole country
succeeds and vice versa.”
I'm excited to continue working together with the new Government
to build a better, fairer and more prosperous London, and
country, for everyone.”
Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO at Siemens Mobility
said:
"After more than a decade of tremendous dedication and hard work,
we have officially opened our state-of-the-art Rail Village in
Goole which is testament to our commitment to the North of
England.
“None of this would have been possible without the brilliance,
perseverance, and passion of our people and I'm incredibly proud
of what we have achieved together.
“We'll assemble 80% of London's new Piccadilly line trains and
all future Siemens trains for the UK including our Verve battery
train here in Goole and I'm pleased that we are supporting the
local supply chain in the process.
“Our further investment in the Bogie Assembly and Service Centre
will only add to our ability to transform rail and transport for
everyone, right here in Goole.”
Today's announcement reinforces the Transport Secretary's
commitment to rebuild the railways and deliver infrastructure fit
for the future and to strengthen connectivity and grow the
economy.
