The Global Centre of Rail Excellence
The Global Centre for Rail Excellence (GCRE) is a new, purpose-built facility being constructed in South Wales that will become Europe’s leading rail innovation centre. The Global Centre of Rail Excellence will help to rebuild local prosperity, make transport better, pioneer a Net Zero railway and renew an amazing place.
Our Mission
GCRE is an ambitious project to develop Europe’s first-ever, purpose-built facility for rail and mobility innovation, becoming a magnet for world class research, testing and proving of cutting-edge new technologies. Combining on-site renewable energy generation and high quality commercial real estate, GCRE will become a global leader in sustainable mobility. Providing the platform to transform sustainable transport so together we can tackle global challenges including our collective path to Net Zero, contributing to a fairer economy and creating new jobs for generations to come.
Underpinning the GCRE vision and the way we will operate the business lay four central missions.
GCRE will achieve four central missions:
Rebuild Local Prosperity:
GCRE will create long-term jobs and prosperity in a community impacted by more than four decades of de-industrialisation, rebuilding hope identity and pride for this and future generations.
– Create 1100 high skilled high value jobs in the region
– Increase interest and training in science, engineering, mathematics and technology (STEM) subjects
– Facilitate graduate placements, apprenticeships and re-skilling opportunities
– Create £15 of benefits for every £1 spent
– Promote fair work
Make Transport Better:
GCRE will become an internationally unique facility for innovation in rail and sustainable mobility supporting the development of stronger greener and more affordable transport systems right across the world.
– Provide a testbed for innovations to unlock global infrastructure constraints
– Improve railway connectivity across the UK and Europe, and contribute to a greater share of passengers and good transported by rail
– Grow supply chain understanding and reliability
– Increase a skilled workforce base
Pioneer a Net Zero railway:
By building the U.K.’s first net zero railway powered from on-site renewables and largely constructed from reused or recycled materials, GCRE will break new ground in the development of more sustainable infrastructure.
– Enable pathfinder projects to transform transport networks by using renewable energy sources
– Demonstrate the circular economy by building half of the railway from recycled materials
– Mitigate the carbon footprint in creating the site and showcasing to promote wider adoption
– Create more sustainable regional and national energy distribution network
Renew an amazing place:
GCRE will regenerate a former coalfield site and enhance biodiversity to help establish an attractive destination for the community and visitors in a way that links its history with its bright future.
– Redevelop a former industrial landscape
– Promote biodiversity
– Support the planting of native woodland species trees
– Showcase local cultural and industrial heritage to encourage sustainable tourism and local engagement
– Develop a visitor centre to provide access for all to local industrial history and rail innovation
Building on the goals of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, these missions highlight the societal impact, the environmental restoration, our fair work commitment, the industrial innovation opportunity and the green technology imperative for the future.
A ‘one stop shop’
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence will be a ‘one stop shop’ for testing new rolling stock and supporting world class research, development and certification of new rail infrastructure, technologies, processes and skills – something that currently doesn’t exist on a single site in either the UK or in Europe.
Operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the facility will include two electrified test loops, one a 7km, electrified high speed rolling stock loop and the other a 7km, electrified loop for heavy infrastructure testing.
GCRE will become the UK’s first ever net zero railway, supporting the innovation needed to aid the UKs path to net zero and, crucially, helping lower the costs of major rail infrastructure projects. Located on a former open cast mine in the Dulais Valley, GCRE will help to re-build local prosperity by creating long-term, high-quality jobs in an area of multiple deprivation and become a magnet for other, high-quality investments and R&D funding as part of an active industrial policy.
The Strategic Gap in Rail Today
Rail is one of our most critical national infrastructure assets. It employs more than 200,000 people and makes a £36bn per annum contribution to the UK economy. Prior to the pandemic, UK railways ran more than 20,000 services on an average day and across the country the UK has more than 21,000 track miles and associated infrastructure to maintain and upgrade. Major infrastructure projects are planned right across the country.
But while our economy, our lives and our country relies on this network, there has always been a missing piece of the jigsaw in rail testing and, particularly, infrastructure innovation. The UK and Europe has lacked an integrated, single site facility to test rail infrastructure, rolling stock, signalling and new technology and be a single site home to world class research and development. That causes a number of significant problems across the industry, including, with major projects impacted by significant delays and budget overruns caused by a lack of early testing and integration. Inadequate, fall-back options are often resorted to, such as testing on the mainline. GCRE sets out to change that with the creation of a purpose-built site for world class rail and mobility research, testing and innovation.
Outline planning consent for GCRE was granted by Neath Port Talbot Council and Powys County Council in 2021. A range of consultants and contractors are now working in an alliance to design the site and begin preparation for construction. At 700 hectares the site is the same size as Gibraltar.
The Public Policy Benefits of GCRE
Having a dedicated facility like GCRE where single site, integrated testing can take place will have multiple benefits for the rail industry and other, cross-departmental, government objectives, including:
For the rail industry
GCRE will fill a strategic gap as a place to undertake world class testing, research and certification of new rolling stock, infrastructure, technology and ideas, helping speed up innovation and bring new products to market faster.
For governments across the UK and Europe
GCRE will support better value for money and greater cost control by testing new ideas and innovations before they are deployed in major projects, helping develop the transport systems of tomorrow faster and more efficiently.
For future generations
GCRE will support our urgent, collective need to tackle the climate crisis and reach net zero by helping develop new rail and transport technologies that can be deployed faster to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more people onto our railways.
And for the Economy
GCRE will generate long-term, high-quality jobs and support the creation of new skills for young people in an area impacted by four decades of deindustrialisation, becoming a magnet project that can draw in other, high-quality investments.
A process is underway to secure private investment for the project.