The Midlands And Derby – Hub Of The Booming UK Rail Industry And HS2
The UK rail sector generates £3.4bn for the UK economy each year and its supply chain directly employs over 124,000 people, with many more employed in the rail sector as a whole.
Rail Minister Paul Maynard recently said: “The UK rail industry has all the ingredients to be a world leader and our investment in the Midlands Engine puts this region right at the heart of that potential growth and prosperity” (full article here)
The region is set to benefit hugely from HS2 with a high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Leeds running through parts of Derbyshire and the East Midlands. This will be served by an HS2 station at Toton.
Rail Industry Developments in the Midlands
The rail industry in and around Derby already provides some 25,000 rail jobs for people. It’s hugely important to the regional economy, contributing over £2.5bn in 2016 and a focus of major rail development initiatives in 2017. Developments include:
A new Rail Employment and Skills Academy
This is an initiative by Derby College and the Rail Forum East Midlands. It was launched in January 2017 to help develop a diverse and highly skilled workforce, and enable businesses across the East Midlands to win new rail orders both at home and abroad.
More than 150 rail-related businesses across the region are involved; from infrastructure and technology, to train operations and manufacturing. This includes companies and organisations such as ISS Labour; Resonate; East Midlands Trains; the National College of High Speed Rail; Elite KL SNC Lavalin; Angel Trains, Porterbrook Leasing; SNC Lavalin; LORAM UK; ESG Rail; Carillion; Atkins; Datum Composites; EliteKL; CoMech; Yellow Rail; Collis Engineering.
“The East Midlands is a world leader in rail skills and we need to ensure that we can build on this success. Our skills action plan aims to deliver on the work of the Rail Supply Group and will ensure that Britain’s rail supply industry is truly open for business and capable of winning orders from across the world” – Elaine Clark, Rail Forum East Midlands Manager
Derby train-maker Bombardier is reportedly planning to bid for the £2.75bn contract to design, build and maintain high speed trains for the new HS2 rail link.
Although other train manufacturers are starting to establish a presence in the UK, Bombardier’s Derby site remains the only place in Britain where trains are designed, developed, built and tested.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling described the search for a train manufacturer to build and maintain the trains will be a “great opportunity for British-based businesses and suppliers” with the creation of hundreds of jobs. He also said “we have held discussions with UK suppliers to make sure they are in the best possible position to win contracts.”
“We are looking for a supplier who is capable of delivering and maintaining some of the world’s most-advanced rolling stock, with designs putting the passenger at their heart to ensure seamless, accessible, fast and reliable journeys” – Chris Rayner, HS2 Ltd’s Managing Director of Railway Operations
Formal invitations to tender will be made in 2018 and a decision on the preferred bidder in 2019.
German engineering giant Siemens recently opened a new office for 70 staff in its rail automation division at an industrial hub in Derby.
Ahead of its involvement in ‘major’ railway projects in the East Midlands, led by Network Rail, this includes a £137m revamp of Derby Midland Station in 2018.
- Up to 7,000 rail jobs could be created at an ‘inland port’ planned near East Midlands Airport. The massive East Midlands Gateway project will provide a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange.
It could see up to 6m sq ft of new distribution and storage buildings, and a freight terminal which would handle up to 16 trains a day. Freight brought into the UK via Felixstowe, Hull or the Channel ports would arrive into the proposed distribution centre and the economic heart of the East Midlands region by rail, rather than road.
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