Siemens Mobility has donated a former Heathrow Express train carriage to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, helping to improve their training capabilities for major incidents and civil emergencies. The initiative reflects Siemens Mobility’s focus on social value and sustainability, embracing circularity by repurposing materials to reduce waste and extend their usefulness.

The donated Class 332 carriage, which includes a driver’s cab and passenger section, was part of the first mainline train Siemens Mobility sold and delivered into the UK. The Class 332 fleet operated between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington from 1998 to 2019 before being decommissioned. Following withdrawal, the carriage was stored at Siemens Mobility’s Goole site — part of the Goole Rail Village, a £240 million investment set to create up to 1,000 skilled jobs in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Now installed at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section in Immingham, the carriage will allow firefighters to conduct realistic training for a range of scenarios, including derailments, road traffic collisions, and terrorist incidents. It will also support multi-agency exercises with Humberside Police and ambulance services, as well as being used in the Fire Service’s Cadet programme and educational visits to inspire future emergency service professionals.

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. 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.”

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.”

Image: Siemens