Rail
The West Midlands has a booming rail sector and a proud rail heritage.
We’re home to Europe’s pre-eminent and largest rail research group – the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education – and support 40,000 rail-related jobs. With the arrival of HS2 and the £1.75bn Midlands Rail Hub, we’re set to reinforce our position as the fulcrum of the UK rail industry.
Rail, transport, and logistics have never been more important. Naturally positioned to reach all corners of the UK, the local rail sector is leading the smart, low-carbon movement of people and goods, connecting communities to new developments and opportunities.
Did you know?
- Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is investing £6.1 billion to deliver a green transport revolution across the region.
- The new HS2 Interchange Station, to be built near Solihull and the NEC, has become the first railway station to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification – putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.
- West Midlands Metro was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Engineering and Safety category at the Rail Innovation Awards after trials of new technology to prevent trap and drag incidents
Rail sector in the West Midlands
The thriving rail sector in the West Midlands has many facets, all coming together to create an interconnected network of research centres, initiatives, projects and companies.
Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education (BCRRE)
Based at the University of Birmingham, BCRRE is a centre of excellence at the forefront of pioneering research into rail digitalisation and decarbonisation. Through the BCRRE, businesses can collaborate with industry and academia to advance technology and drive innovation in all aspects of rail operations, from cyber security and smart monitoring to aerodynamics and autonomous systems.
Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC)
The VLRNIC in Dudley offers an extensive range of facilities to support businesses with product development and testing of future rail technologies, including a transport systems simulator and an onsite 2.2km test track.
Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR)
Backed by R&D from the University of Warwick and the VLRNIC, the CVLR is the UK’s first very light rail line. Designed to sit just 30cm inside the road surface, and with no overhead power supply, the initiative will make light rail as affordable and environmentally friendly as possible, significantly reducing the impact on utilities.
HS2
The region’s connectivity and economic landscape is being transformed by High Speed 2 (HS2). The country’s new high-speed rail network, and Europe’s largest infrastructure project, will increase capacity and bring people and goods to and from London within 38 minutes.
The West Midlands Combined Authority’s HS2 Growth Strategy contains approximately £1.2 billion of transport connectivity investment to be delivered by 2028, which will improve the wider transport network, expand the economic area and increase productivity.
The Transport, Rail and Infrastructure Academy (TRIA)
The TRIA is a leading training provider in the rail, civil engineering and utilities industries. It offers businesses employer-led training to address specific skills gaps in the industry, upskilling new and existing rail operatives to develop their industry knowledge.
TRIA’s new site, located at BCIMO’s Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre, will help to increase recruitment for businesses and employment opportunities for local people. It will look to meet the demand for skilled operatives to work in the construction and maintenance of train lines, tram routes and stations across the region.
Rail Projects
EneRail
Originally established at the University of Birmingham, EneRail operates from its base at UKRRIN to offer advanced driver advisory systems and energy modelling simulations. These solutions deliver tangible savings to power networks through straightforward performance improvements.
Vanguard
A University of Birmingham start-up, Vanguard was honoured as the ‘Best SME’ at the 2022 European Rail Clusters Initiative Innovation Awards. This recognition highlights Vanguard’s development and commercialisation of a hybrid hydrogen/battery traction power system for retrofitting diesel trains to clean power.
Vanguard was responsible for the design of the UK’s first mainline-approved hydrogen train, HydroFLEX.
The UK's first hydrogen powered train
HydroFLEX was developed by BCRRE in partnership with rolling stock owner and asset manager, Porterbrook. It offers zero-emission rail travel and is the first hydrogen-ready passenger train that operates under electric, battery and hydrogen power, making it the world’s first ‘tri-mode’ train.
Free support services
We bring together a project team from relevant organisations across the region. This team includes property agents, recruitment consultants, public sector departments and universities. It delivers a comprehensive support package to quickly and easily help you establish and scale your business in the UK.
