RIA North welcomes new railway research centre at Goole

12 July 2023


RIA North has welcomed the news that the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) is awarding £15 million to the University of Birmingham, supported by Siemens Mobility to invest in a new railway research centre at Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

UKRPIF’s investment will ensure that the University of Birmingham can collaborate with the University of Huddersfield to establish a new Centre of Excellence for Railway Through-Life Engineering, located adjacent to the Siemens Mobility train manufacturing facility due to open in 2024.

UKRPIF’s funding is part of a wider commitment which will prove a significant boost for UK research and development, totalling a £106 million package. 

Richard Carr, RIA North Business Engagement Manager, said, “This investment news is fantastic news not just for the North, but the rail industry as a whole. It represents a huge step forward in being able to support both the building and maintaining of rolling stock with a focus on robotics, sensing, and automation.

“UKRPIF’s investment enables this exciting collaboration between the University of Birmingham and the University of Huddersfield which is positive news for RIA members and the wider supply chain, including SMEs, and will encourage new ideas and ways of working to meet the future needs of the rail sector.

“RIA and our members look forward to working with the University of Birmingham, the University of Huddersfield and Siemens Mobility on this project.”
 

Notes to Editors

  1. The UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) supports investment in higher education facilities across the UK. Universities must attract a further £2 from non-public sources for every £1 invested by the fund. The funding is part of £30m announced through the UKRPIF to establish two new world-leading railway research and innovation facilities in the UK – one in South Wales and the other being a new Centre of Excellence for Railway Through-Life Engineering in Goole near Leeds.
  2. About RIA North: RIA North is the voice of the rail supply community in the North of England, representing RIA members across the region. Rail in the North supports £7.7bn in economic growth (GVA), 154,000 jobs and £2.5bn in tax revenue and is an essential industry in delivering the Government's build back better, decarbonisation and levelling-up agendas. www.riagb.org.uk/north
  3. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. RIA has 350 companies in membership in a sector that contributes £43 billion in economic growth and £14 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 710,000 people. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK; for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). https://www.riagb.org.uk/