The Global Centre Of Rail Excellence is a world class facility for sustainable mobility, renewable energy and commercial property currently being developed in South Wales. It will provide unique-to-Europe research, testing and showcasing opportunities for rolling stock, infrastructure and cutting-edge new rail and mobility technologies. The new facility will be located on a 700-hectare site and offer significant renewable energy generation capacity. GCRE will be the UK’s first ever net zero in operation railway. GCRE will be critical in the testing of new products that can support decarbonisation and our transport path to net zero. GCRE will become Europe’s premier facility for rail and mobility innovation, helping to speed up the development of new products as well as creating important new job creation and export opportunities. #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #TomorrowTogether
Global Centre Of Rail Excellence
Rail Transportation
GCRE will provide world-class research, testing & certification of rolling stock, infrastructure & new rail technologies
About us
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) is a new, purpose-built rail innovation facility being built in South Wales that will undertake world-class research, testing and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure and innovative new rail technologies - 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 6.9km high speed rolling stock track and the other a 4km track for heavy infrastructure testing. Opening in 2025 it 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, it will create long-term, high-quality jobs and become a magnet for other, high-quality investments and R&D. Planning permission has been secured for the project and its 24-hour, seven day a week operation, with construction beginning in early 2023. Site clearance has already commenced, and an experienced management team is in place to drive the project forward.
- Website
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https://www.gcre.wales
External link for Global Centre Of Rail Excellence
- Industry
- Rail Transportation
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Dulais Valley, South Wales, UK
- Type
- Public Company
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
Dulais Valley, South Wales, UK, GB
Employees at Global Centre Of Rail Excellence
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Tim Lane
Consultant Innovator at Invisiblinq
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Fletch Rail Advisory (Simon Fletcher)
Former Director Europe at UIC; Founder, Fletch Rail Advisory, freelance railway professional experienced at national and international levels;…
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Robert Thompson
Director of Implementation at Global Centre of Rail Excellence
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Simon Jones
Chief Executive Officer at GCRE Ltd
Updates
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As ever great photos, Matthew. Thanks for helping us out yesterday! #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence
Architectural and Construction Photographer, Drone Operator (GVC Specific) and Time Lapse Video Producer
I spent a couple of days this week at the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence getting up to date with the changes on site and capturing the fantastic work of the 12 rail technology projects funded through the £7.4m Innovation In Railway Construction Programme being showcased on the site. #GCRE #RailInnovation
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Global Centre Of Rail Excellence reposted this
A spectacular day under clear blue skies at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence as 12 teams demonstrate their 'Innovation in Railway Construction' technologies to 200 delegates from across the railway industry. Thanks to the teams for all the support over the past 2+ years, to all those who attended and contributed to the event, and to the GCRE and event management teams for making the event such a success. With so many images across the day here is a photo montage of a few of the highlights. Mike Noakes James Brewer Ivan Youd Andrew Johnson Robert Forde ChPP Arthur Emyr Simon Jones Aled Lewis Antony Llewellyn Craig Whitney Klara Ludinova CEng MIStructE Ben Cullen #gcre #railinnovation
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Thanks for the advocacy, support and counsel you and your colleagues including Mike Noakes and Ivan Youd at Department for Business and Trade continue to provide to the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence! It means a huge amount. To quote Mike, today was a day when we were reminded again #ThisIsWhyWeDoIt
Want some bang for buck? Well today saw £8m of funding from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) for 12 cutting edge projects - bringing innovation to railway construction - all in action! The Global Centre Of Rail Excellence (GCRE), which itself has received £20m from DBT, organised an excellent demonstration event to showcase these projects that can deliver more for less, and which in turn are informing the building of GCRE on the site of a former open cast coalmine in South Wales, a comparative stone's throw from the Tata Steelworks at Port Talbot; helping to regenerate the area as GCRE becomes a world class facility for rail and mobility research, testing and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure and cutting-edge net zero technologies that will serve markets across Europe, the Middle East and beyond. I'm pictured with Harshan Kaliyamoorthi of AUS Ltd, probably the biggest rail SME in Yorkshire (apologies for any bias from this Huddersfield guy) and their 'Composite Twin Track Cantilever for Smarter Rail Electrification Revolutionising Rail', a partnership with The University of Huddersfield which is a member of the Business Department backed UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). There is so much great stuff to convey from today that I'd need to write a book (so further apologies if you feel you've already read one).
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It has been a brilliant day at our Innovation in Railway Construction Demonstration event. We had around 200 attendees from across rail, the supply chain and government at the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence, seeing 12 fantastic teams tackling some of the biggest challenges in rail. It was great to hear some of the teams demonstrating today saying how the Innovation in Railway Construction Competition being hosted at GCRE was already helping them secure new commercial leads, new contracts and new investment in their companies. Our sincere thanks to all those that demonstrated and attended! #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #RailInnovation Robert Forde ChPP
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It's been a great start to the Innovation in Railway Construction Demonstration event being held at the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence today. Guided by our Head of Innovation Kelvin Davies, our Chair Dr Dr Debra Williams led us off, followed by Chief Executive Simon Jones and Head of Rail Supply Chains at the Department for Business and Trade, James Brewer. Then it was off around the site to see the teams demonstrating. The event is a live showcase at GCRE of twelve new and ground-breaking rail technology projects funded through the £7.4m Innovate UK / Department for Business and Trade Innovation In Railway Construction Programme. Around 200 individuals from across industry, government and the rail the supply chain are in attendance today. It's great to see teams tackling some of the biggest, knottiest and most expensive problems in rail through the project. Today we are seeing ideas and solutions to problems that will help the UK get to a net zero railway; that will help grow our economy and enhance UK rail’s export potential. What this competition has also done is help bring the GCRE vision to life by showing what a platform it can be for faster, more cost effective and more technologically advanced innovation that can benefit passengers, our economy and communities. A huge thanks to everyone who has turned out today. #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #RailInnovation
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Some lovely drone footage of the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence during an Diwydiant Cymru - Industry Wales site visit recently. #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence
Diolch enfawr i Ganolfan Fyd-Eang Rhagoriaeth Rheilffyrdd am y daith a'r lletygarwch yr wythnos diwethaf. Cafodd Alex Feeney a Mike Gillard eu hudo gan raddfa’r uchelgais ar safle pwll glo brig ffurfiol ger Onllwyn. Mae Simon Jones, Andrew Johnson a’r tîm yn GCRE yn adeiladu prosiect cyffrous sy’n arwain y byd a allai fod o fudd enfawr i Gymru a’r cyffiniau. Dyma ychydig o ffilm drone o'r safle. - A huge thank you to Global Centre Of Rail Excellence for the tour and hospitality last week. Alex Feeney and Mike Gillard were left fascinated by the scale of ambition on the site of a formal opencast coal mine near Onllwyn. Simon Jones, Andrew Johnson and the team at GCRE are building an exciting, world-leading project which could have huge benefits to Wales and the surrounding area. Here is some drone footage of the site. #GCRE #GlobalCentreofRailExcellence #rail #railway #engineering #railwayengineering #transport #infrastructure #drone #dronefootage
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It was a pleasure to be at the Connected Places Catapult Summit today in London. Global Centre Of Rail Excellence Chief Executive Simon Jones took part in a rail innovation roundtable, 'Shaping the Future of Rail: Innovations for Tomorrow's Transport' and talked about the GCRE opportunity. Our ambition is to establish the Global Centre of Rail Excellence as an internationally significant site for rail and sustainable mobility innovation. A facility for world class research, testing and showcasing of new technologies and ideas that can become the backbone of tomorrow’s stronger, greener and more affordable net zero transport systems. The catalytic impact of GCRE is significant. What will be tested and developed at our facility will then be cascaded into transport and metro systems across the world. More effective, more affordable and more reliable infrastructure on the path to 2050. GCRE is an opportunity in and of itself, but what will maximise its impact is by embedding it into the new landscape of rail reform, partnering with GBR and others to transform innovation in rail and indeed, the way we plan and deliver infrastructure itself. It was great to talk about that opportunity today. #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #RailInnovation #CPSummit25
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Prep day... Ahead of the Innovation in Railway Construction Demonstration Day being held tomorrow at the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence. The event will be a live showcase at GCRE of twelve new and ground-breaking rail technology projects funded through the £7.4m Innovate UK / Department for Business and Trade Innovation In Railway Construction Programme. Can't wait! #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #RailInnovation
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Its preparation time for the Innovation in Railway Construction Demonstration Day being held tomorrow at the Global Centre Of Rail Excellence. The event will be a live showcase at GCRE of twelve new and ground-breaking rail technology projects funded through the £7.4m Innovate UK / Department for Business and Trade Innovation In Railway Construction Programme. Good luck to everyone demonstrating! #GCRE #GlobalCentreOfRailExcellence #RailInnovation Kelvin Davies