Siemens Mobility has donated a former train carriage to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, to enhance training capabilities for major incidents and civil emergencies.
The “Class 332” carriage, comprising of a driver’s cab and passenger section, was part of the first mainline train Siemens Mobility sold and delivered into the UK. It operated on the Heathrow Express service between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington from 1998 to 2019.
After decommissioning, the carriage was relocated to Siemens Mobility’s Goole Rail Village during the site’s development. Siemens Mobility is investing up to £240m in the Rail Village, bringing up to 1,000 new jobs to East Yorkshire.
Now, the carriage’s new home is at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, where it is 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 the ambulance service, while also supporting the Fire Service’s Cadet programme and educational visits, to encourage the next generation of emergency service workers.
Finbarr Dowling, Siemens Mobility director of localisation, said: “Resource efficiency and circularity is one of Siemens Mobility’s key areas for positive sustainability impact and we’re committed to the efficient use and continuous reuse and repurposing of rolling stock and materials in our 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. This donation means it will have a much longer lifespan, providing further benefits to society for years to come.”
David Harris, Siemens Mobility construction project manager, said: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with Humberside Fire and Rescue service on this project.
“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.”
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.”
