Huge £200m factory opens in town that will make London Tube journeys faster

A huge factory has opened that will make London Underground journeys faster.

Siemens is opening a new factory in East Yorkshire. The company produces commuter trains for UK operators, including Transport for London.

Bosses have said it will create 700 jobs for the local town, Goole, and will give it a “bright future for the next 60 years”. About 2,500 jobs are expected to be made in the supply chain in addition to those at the factory.

The factory, near the M62, was opened by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan earlier this week.

Haigh described the facility, which forms part of the town’s £200m rail village, as “impressive” and “world-class”, adding it will “provide a boost to the region’s economy”.

Work began to assemble the first 10 trains for the London Underground’s Piccadilly Line in March. They are expected to be in service by 2025.

Sambit Banerjee, joint chief executive of Siemens Mobility, said there was a “lot of excitement” and that the plant would create “long-term sustainability and employability”, enabling Goole to have a “bright future for the next 60 years”.

He said: “We’ll assemble 80 percent of new Piccadilly line trains and all future Siemens’ trains for the UK, including our Verve battery train, here in Goole and I’m pleased that we are supporting the local supply chain in the process.”

Mr Banerjee also announced 300 more posts will be created in the next few years, with an additional £40 million going into another assembly, logistics and service centre.

Operations support manager Natalie Thornton said the new facility “brought hope to this area” and is expecting similar employment and economic benefits in Hull via a turbine blade factory.

“It feels like it’s an underdog part of the world here. I sometimes feel we’re left behind in certain things. There’s a lot of educated, skilled people in this area that need an opportunity and Siemens have given that.”