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Former Heathrow Express train carriage donated to fire service for emergency training

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Training exercises at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section. Photo credit: Siemens Mobility.
Training exercises at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section. Photo credit: Siemens Mobility.

A former Heathrow Express train carriage has found a new home at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Central Training Section in Immingham, helping firefighters prepare for major incidents and civil emergencies.

The ‘Class 332’ carriage, donated by Siemens Mobility, includes both a driver’s cab and passenger section. It was part of the first mainline train Siemens delivered to the UK, operating on the Heathrow Express route between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington from 1998 to 2019.

After being decommissioned, the carriage was stored at Siemens Mobility’s Goole Rail Village site in East Yorkshire, where the company is investing up to £240m and creating up to 1,000 jobs.

Now, the repurposed carriage is being used to stage realistic training scenarios, including derailments, road traffic collisions, and terrorist incidents. It is also being used for casualty management exercises in confined spaces and will support multi-agency training with Humberside Police and local ambulance teams.

In addition, it will be used as part of the Service’s Cadet programme and for educational visits to inspire future emergency service workers.

“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.”

Phil Shillito, Chief Fire Officer, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.

The initiative reflects Siemens Mobility’s focus on sustainability and social value, with an emphasis on circularity and reuse of materials.

“Resource efficiency and circularity is one of Siemens Mobility’s key areas for positive sustainability impact. We’re committed to the reuse and repurposing of rolling stock and materials in our trains.

“The carriage has already had several uses at Goole, but we wanted to find a purpose that would deliver lasting value. This donation means it will continue to serve society for years to come.”

Finbarr Dowling, Director of Localisation, Siemens Mobility.

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