Frimley, UK, 2017-Feb-23
Jo Hensher, Bid Director, HS2 Rolling Stock at Siemens, said:
“As a long time supporter of HS2, Siemens is delighted that the HS2 Bill has gained Royal Assent. HS2 presents an opportunity to set a new benchmark for the passenger experience of rail travel in the future and will truly transform connectivity between some of the biggest cities in the UK.
“As a major UK employer with offices and manufacturing facilities around the country, we believe that HS2 can be a real driver for economic growth and will undoubtedly make a major contribution towards rebalancing the economy away from the South-East and London. It will not only significantly improve capacity across the network by alleviating pressure on already congested lines but will also go a long way to making Britain the most connected island in the world, delivering a long-term solution to a very real problem.
“Royal Assent also gives companies like Siemens the confidence to make the necessary investments in their local supply chains and skills base to make HS2 happen. Siemens is committed to working with British suppliers and we currently support over 56,000 UK jobs through our UK supply chain. In fact, since the start of 2016 Siemens has spent almost £1.4bn in the UK supply chain of which around £300m was rail-related expenditure. HS2 is also a fantastic opportunity to attract more young people into the rail industry and to expand apprenticeship training. With over 500 apprentices in training, Siemens believes that apprenticeships are a great way to tackle engineering skills shortages in the UK.
“The UK deserves a world class high-speed railway and we hope to help make that happen, drawing on our diverse high speed experience from countries including Spain, Turkey, Germany The Netherlands and here in the UK, where we have delivered the E320 Eurostar – the country’s only very high speed train. We look forward to building on our global experience and working with the wider industry to support the Government as it looks to deliver a step-change in passenger experience for British commuters and to improve the UK’s rail network for future generations.”
ENDS
Media contacts
Emma Whitaker, Siemens
Tel: 079212 46942
Email: emma.whitaker@siemens.com
Silke Thomson-Pottebohm, Siemens
Tel: 07808 822780
Email: silke.thomson-pottebohm@siemens.com
For further information, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemensuknews
Notes to editors
About Siemens (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2016, which ended on September 30, 2016, Siemens generated revenue of €79.6 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2016, the company had around 351,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
