Siemens Mobility has formally opened its £6 million Multi-Functional Centre, welcoming Member of Parliament for Northampton North, Lucy Rigby KC MP, to officially open the facility. This investment will enhance the company’s capabilities to deliver essential modifications and upgrades to passenger trains, creating new jobs for the local area.
The new facility will provide increased capabilities for modifications and upgrades to the UK’s passenger train fleet, including interior refurbishments such as improvements to seating, toilets, luggage stacks, and charging ports.
Lucy Rigby KC MP, Member of Parliament for Northampton North, said:
“It was a privilege to officially open Siemens Mobility’s state-of-the-art Multi-Functional Centre and meet the highly skilled team working to enhance passenger journeys. It’s fantastic to see how Siemens Mobility’s local investment is fostering economic growth, creating new jobs and developing skills right here in Northampton.”
The inaugural project to take place on site will focus on East Midland Railway’s Class 360s, a refurbishment project designed to transform the passenger journey and offer improved comfort.
The investment also enables a mobile capability, allowing for a team of skilled technicians to be deployed nationwide to complete modification work to the UK’s passenger trains. The team recently completed the first-in-class installation on a third-party fleet, fitting Siemens Mobility’s Variable Rate Sanding technology to improve trains’ braking performance for slippery track conditions.
The next mobile project will be the upgrade to train data recorders (OTDR), bringing mobile connectivity to third party fleets, allowing for improved reliability and availability.
Sambit Banerjee, joint CEO and managing director for Rolling Stock and Customer Services, commented:
“Our new Multi-Functional Centre at Kings Heath is the latest example of Siemens Mobility’s investment in the UK and another step forward for the rail industry. This £6 million investment expands our capacity to deliver vital upgrades for passenger trains and creates 30 additional jobs – all part of our mission to transform rail travel for passengers across the country.”
Siemens Mobility has invested up to £340 million in the UK in recent years, including up to £240 million in its Rail Village in Goole, Yorkshire from where it’s delivering the next generation of Piccadilly line trains for Transport for London. Goole is where Siemens intends to assemble Britain’s battery bi-mode trains. A further £100 million is being invested in Chippenham, Wiltshire, where their company’s Rail Technology Centre is taking shape.
Image credit: Siemens Mobility
