A former Heathrow Express train carriage has been donated to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. Siemens Mobility has provided the carriage to enhance firefighters’ training capabilities for major incidents and civil emergencies.
Phil Shillito, Chief Fire Officer, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Siemens Mobility for this generous donation. The addition of a real train carriage at our training site is a rare and valuable asset.
“It will significantly enhance the realism of our training scenarios and better prepare our firefighters for emergencies involving rail transport. This is not something that’s often available to fire and rescue services, and it will make a real difference in our ability to protect the communities we serve.”
The initiative underscores Siemens Mobility’s commitment to social value and circularity, minimising waste and emphasising sustainability through the reuse and repurpose of materials. Finbarr Dowling, Siemens Mobility director of localisation, said the company was committed to the efficient use and continuous reuse and repurposing of rolling stock and materials in its trains.
“The carriage has been used in various ways since being on site at Goole, but we were actively looking to put it to a new and useful purpose,” he said. “This donation means it will have a much longer lifespan, providing further benefits to society for years to come.”
The Class 332 carriage, a driver’s cab and passenger section, was part of the first mainline train Siemens Mobility sold and delivered into the UK, operating between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington from 1998 to 2019. After decommissioning, the carriage was relocated to Siemens Mobility’s Goole site during its development.
The Goole Rail Village represents an investment of up to £240m that will bring up to 1,000 new jobs to the East Riding. The carriage’s new home will be at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section in Immingham, providing firefighters with realistic scenarios for derailments, road traffic collisions, and terrorist attacks, including casualty management in confined spaces.
It will also facilitate multi-agency training with Humberside Police and ambulance services, while also supporting the Fire Service’s Cadet programme and educational visits to encourage the next generation of emergency service workers. David Harris, Siemens Mobility construction project manager, said: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with Humberside Fire and Rescue service on this project.
“It’s not a simple task to move a 23m-long train carriage, so we’ve worked collaboratively with the fire service to make it possible. After identifying a suitable location within the training centre site, we supported the installation of sleepers, rails and ballast, before liaising with a haulage company to arrange transportation and siting of the carriage, around the fire service’s busy training schedule.
“It’s fantastic to know the carriage will also be used by young people. Siemens is committed to supporting young people into work, and we’re involved with numerous apprenticeship and education programmes, so this aligns with our values.” To find out more about Siemens Mobility’s work in Goole, visit siemens.co.uk/goole
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