The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE), the UK's first net-zero rail innovation centre, has received its first rail car from Talgo. The donation from Talgo will be based at the south Wales site, which will be developed into a visitor centre while the £400 million GCRE facility is built over the next few years. This marks the start of an important new partnership between the two companies. The GCRE is a major new rail innovation centre due to open in 2025. It will be a home for research, testing, and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure, and new rail technologies for the UK and international rail industry.
GCRE’s Chief Executive, Simon Jones, expressed his hopes of a long-term partnership with Talgo. “The services we will be providing on-site – world-class research, testing and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure and innovative new rail technologies - are ones that we know can benefit high quality, international manufacturers such as Talgo,” said Jones. Developing the GCRE and Talgo partnership is something that they are committed to doing, he added.
GCRE will include two 25KV electrified test loops, one a 6.9km high-speed rolling stock track and the other a 4km ~60km/h infrastructure test track. Talgo UK said it was delighted to be the first rolling stock to arrive at the GCRE, which is said to have world-class research, testing, and certification facilities. Jonathan Veitch of Talgo UK added: "We are excited about the opportunities our technology has to decarbonize and improve rail transport in the UK.”
GCRE aims to provide innovative, net-zero technologies that will underpin the decarbonized rail network of tomorrow, supporting the rail testing and innovation requirements of international manufacturers such as Talgo. The donation of the rail carriage is hoped to be the start of a creative collaboration between GCRE and Talgo, to the mutual benefit of both companies.
