The British Midlands
Business sectors within the region
Rail
- The British Midlands region is perfectly positioned at the heart of a growing UK rail industry
- The region is home to specialists in everything from rolling stock to rail consultancy and design
- There are fantastic opportunities for collaboration in researh and development
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The UK rail industry is expanding and, with its proven track record in manufacturing and engineering, the British Midlands is uniquely placed to provide the skills, resources and expertise the sector needs. Investment in the UK rail infrastructure is expected to reach $96 billion / £49 billion by 2010, and the British Midlands will be central to this growth.The area specialises in Rolling Stock manufacture, maintenance, rennovation and support; |
infrastructure provision and maintenance and rail consultancy and design, key companies include Bombardier, Alstom, Siemens, Interfleet, Delta Rail and Trelleborg amongst a host of others.
Hundreds of rail engineering companies are based in the region, with 231 in Derby alone. And the area is also home to a number of key infrastructure supply and maintenance companies, including Balfour Beatty, Birse, Carillion Rail UK, First Engineering and Mowlem. Systems suppliers based in the region include Siemens and ABB Power. Infrastructure is a key area of investment, with £3million spent in this area by railtrack every year.
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From 2008/2009, the Midlands will be home to The UK Rail Centre in Derby, creating a focal point for local trade and investment. This centre of excellence will offer a huge range of facilities and resources, as well as the perfect location for exhibitions and conferences. Sixteen of the top twenty rail consultancy firms are based in the British Midlands and the region hosts a number of large network operators including Network Rail, Virgin Trains, Central Trains and Midland Mainline |
– each with the skills to operate on the busiest track in the world, while keeping their customers informed and happy.
The University of Birmingham is the headquarters of Rail Research UK, a major collaborative research projectinvolving a large group of leading acedemic and industrial partners. Loughborough University is also a leading member of this consortium. The project seeks to support rail development work elsewhere in the region, introducing innovative new practives throughout the country to create a better, faster, safer railway.