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The GCRE was established by the Welsh government in 2021 as Special Purpose Vehicle, with an initial investment of £50m. Another £30m is expected from the UK government – a third for research and development and the rest in capital funding.
The 475-hectare site will create more than 100 jobs, and attract academic and industrial partners to the site. Contractors working on the project include Atkins, and Walters Group.
“This is an ambitious infrastructure project that has the potential to transform the local area with a £200 million investment that will put Wales and the UK at the very heart of 21st century sustainable transport innovation." said Debra Williams, chair of GCRE. "Featuring the UK’s first net zero railway, GCRE will include a modern and comprehensive rail testing and innovation facility with capacity and capabilities for rigorous testing of rolling stock, infrastructure, and integrated systems from prototype to implementation.”
The Nant Helen surface mine site will include an electrified 6.9km high-speed outer rail testing track with testing speeds of up to 110mph, an electrified low-speed infrastructure testing track allowing speeds of up to 40mph, a dual platform station environment and 25kv overhead line equipment (OLE) infrastructure.
The Onllwyn washery site will include: research, development, education and a training/conference centre, an operations and control centre/office, staff facilities, rolling stock storage/sidings and a rolling stock maintenance facility.
Simon Jones, Chief Executive of GCRE, said: “GCRE will be unique in Europe and is a major economic development project for Wales. It will support the railway industry to meet the challenges of reducing costs through innovation, improving reliability and passenger experience, and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With the support of our key stakeholders including Neath Port Talbot and Powys County Councils, GCRE will play a pivotal role for the public and private sector partners of the railway in the UK and overseas.
“Nant Helen was one of the last opencast coal mines in Wales. The development of GCRE will establish a progressive, post-carbon future for the site; providing much needed state-of-the-art rolling stock testing, infrastructure testing, storage and maintenance facilities for the international rail industry and creating jobs for local people.”
James Price, Chief Executive of Transport for Wales said: “Wales and the UK is seeing major investment in key infrastructure projects but there is no fit-for-purpose dynamic testing and certification facility in the UK. GCRE will become a catalyst for the creation of a rail technology hub in Wales; providing a flexible, open-market platform for leading R&D activity that drives and accelerates innovation on our journey to net zero. It’s an exciting step-forward that complements the work that we are doing to make transport in Wales truly sustainable and fit for future generations. Transport for Wales is supporting project delivery and will be among the ‘anchor tenants’ making valuable use of the GCRE facility for decades to come.”
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