A consortium of universities led by the University of Birmingham has been awarded £15 million to establish a new Railway Research and Innovation Centre at the Global Centre for Rail Excellence (GCRE) in South Wales.
It is hoped that once finished, the centre will be a world-leading facility for the development of new railway technologies, developing a focus on sustainability, safety, and efficiency.
The funding has been awarded by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), a joint initiative of the UK government and the Higher Education Funding Council for England and is part of £30 million joint investment with a new Centre of Excellence for Railway Through-Life Engineering in Goole.
Professor Clive Roberts, Director of the Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham , said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this funding, which will allow us to create a truly world-class research and innovation centre for the rail industry.
"The Centre will bring together leading experts from across the UK and beyond to work on projects that will help to shape the future of rail transport. We will focus on developing new technologies that will make rail transport more sustainable, safer, and efficient."
The Centre will be located at the GCRE in Neath Port Talbot, a £200 million railway testing and innovation facility that is currently under construction. The GCRE will be the UK's first integrated train and rail infrastructure testing facility, and it will provide a unique environment for the development of new railway technologies.
The Centre will be open to researchers from all over the world, and it will offer a range of facilities and services to support research and innovation in the rail sector. These include:
- A state-of-the-art laboratory for testing new materials and technologies
- A test track for running and testing trains
- A simulation facility for modelling and testing new railway systems
- A knowledge exchange hub for sharing research findings with the rail industry
The Centre is expected to create around 100 new jobs in the region, and it will help to boost the UK's rail research and innovation sector.
Simon Jones, chief executive of GCRE Limited said: “World class research and innovation is at the heart of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence mission. Working with University of Birmingham and their partners, which now include the universities of Cardiff and Swansea, will allow us to make this ambition a reality.
“Developing unique R&D facilities that will benefit academia, industry and most importantly passengers and taxpayers is why we have been established..”
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