The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) has revealed the 15 rail innovations that will be made reality at the facility, including an underpass made with hyperTunnel’s swarm construction.
GCRE was established by the Welsh Government as a special purpose vehicle in 2021 to deliver a rail research facility. This is a major infrastructure project being constructed on a 700ha site in south Wales at the Nant Helen former open cast coal mine and Onllwyn Washery in Neath Port Talbot and Powys. The £400M project will feature a purpose-built, modern and dynamic test facility for international rail innovation.
GCRE’s Innovation in Railway Construction competition is funded by £7.4M from the Department of Business and Trade in partnership with Innovate UK. In February 2023, 24 projects were selected to receive up to £25,000 for feasibility studies. These have now been whittled down to the final 15 which have received up to £575,000 each to take the innovations to concept stage at the GCRE facility.