Siemens is targeting the development of a 42-hectare site close to the Goole exit of the M62 highway of which 27 hectares are suitable for development. The plans include 80,000m² of manufacturing, commissioning, warehouse buildings and stabling sidings as well as a four-storey 5000m² office building. Siemens says it plans to create 700 jobs at the factory in addition to the 250 required during the construction period. The facility is expected to support 1700 British supply chain roles. The application is for outline consent and will enable the delivery of the facility in phases, with the first manufacturing facilities expected to come online in 2023. Full operation is expected in 2025. Siemens plans to base its British rolling stock engineering and commissioning team at Goole. The company will also locate its Digital Operations Centre onsite, where the company plans to collect and analyse train-borne data for operators. Siemens announced plans for the factory in March 2018 and the project gained momentum following the award of a £1.5bn contract to design and build Piccadilly Line trains for London Underground in November. “Reaching this milestone furthers our vision to create a sustainable, long-term, and technically-advanced facility that is an asset to the UK,” says Mr Will Wilson, managing director of rolling stock at Siemens Mobility.
