Nottingham is set to become a key player in the UK’s green rail revolution, with a Swiss engineering firm choosing the city as the base for its expanding operations.
Furrer+Frey, a global leader in rail electrification, is bringing highly-skilled engineering jobs to the East Midlands to help accelerate the UK’s transition to net-zero transport through “clean, green, electrified rail.”
Electricity supplies 99% of Switzerland’s railway tracks, compared to just two in every five miles in Britain – a gap the company is working to close.
The firm see big opportunities in the UK to help the new Prime Minister meet his net zero goals and support green growth in Nottingham.
Noel Dolphin, Head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey, said:
“Nottingham is the ideal spot for us to help the government ditch dirty diesel and run trains on clean, green, home-grown electricity.
“The East Midlands has a proud railway heritage, and we’re excited to join its green growth mission. The combination of engineering talent and advanced manufacturing capacity in the region makes it the place to be.
“While the Government’s Autumn Budget offered little on future electrification projects, the industry remains clear that this is the only path to meet the government’s net zero and diesel train elimination targets by 2040.”
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, commented:
“The East Midlands is the thriving hub for the UK’s rail industry, cutting carbon at home and abroad with the best of British rail engineering. I am pleased to welcome Furrer+Frey to our region.”
The relocation is being celebrated with a bright orange Furrer+Frey branded tram circuiting the city’s streets, which coincided with the city hosting the industry-leading PWI Tram and Light Rail Conference.
Furrer+Frey is already collaborating with local suppliers on key projects, including:
- Award-winning work to upgrade the entire Tyne and Wear Metro using low-carbon, recycled aluminium produced in Nottingham.
- Creating innovative mobile control centres with a company on the former Boots factory site.
- Designing upgrades to the Midland Main Line (which runs between London St Pancrass, Nottingham and Sheffield) so that trains can run faster on the electrified sections of route.
- Winning awards for pioneering the use of composite materials instead of steel to dramatically reduce carbon emissions of railway construction.
- Testing underground sections of the £18 billion Elizabeth Line.
In March last year, the Government selected Derby as the home of “Great British Railways,” a new entity set to take over the running of railways and train operating companies.
The government is currently passing new law that would take trains back into public ownership.
The 100-year-old Swiss firm remains family-owned, adding Nottingham to a list of hubs including Bern, Berlin, Essen, Halle, Rome, New Delhi and Guangzhou (China).
The new space in Beeston will serve as both office, warehousing and assembly hub and marks a major expansion in the company’s UK operations from their former regional office in London.
