Rail News – Early April 2025
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Siemens Mobility has officially broken ground on its £100 million state-of-the-art facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire. This milestone marks the start of construction on a state-of-the art innovation hub that will shape the future of rail technology in the UK.
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy joined members of Siemens Mobility’s leadership team, Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson, past employees with multi-generational ties to the company dating back to the 1900s, and members of the local community to celebrate the occasion. https://www.qimtek.co.uk/news/engineering-capacity/work-starts-ps100m-rail-facility
Future rail journeys between the North East, Yorkshire and London will be powered by a combination of electrified lines, batteries and diesel following the purchase of nine new ‘tri-mode’ trains. The Hitachi Rail battery hybrid trains will replace Arriva Group’s entire Grand Central fleet, the operator announced.
The order for 45 tri-mode cars, which can run on electrified and non-electrified tracks, represents an investment of about £300m, including a 10-year maintenance contract.
A new era of public transport is coming to Coventry as a West Midlands-based operator prepares to run the city’s innovative Very Light Rail (CVLR) system in a real-world trial this spring.
Specialist transport firm RailAdventure UK will take control of the CVLR vehicle in May and June, operating it along a short demonstration track between Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road.
