Last month, Balfour Beatty — the international infrastructure group — opened a new Rail Innovation Centre at its Raynesway facility in Derby.

The purpose-built 450m² centre is a dedicated research, development and testing facility, designed to support Balfour Beatty’s “contribution to the development of the digital railway for a more reliable cost-efficient and safe railway network for all users across the UK and overseas”.

The new facility will bring together Balfour Beatty’s (www.balfourbeatty.com) expertise in systems engineering, computer science, robotics, data analytics and electronics, as well as electrical and mechanical engineering; in combination with the company’s York and Matlock offices, it will employ over 150 technicians, engineers, data scientists and developers with expertise and knowledge of the design, operation and maintenance of the railway.

Mark Bullock, Balfour Beatty’s CEO for rail and utilities, said: “Digital technologies are rapidly changing the rail industry, bringing new efficiencies and presenting new opportunities.

“The Rail Innovation Centre is at the heart of Balfour Beatty’s technology offering, with the specific purpose of driving efficiencies and safety across the rail network for those who work on the railway — and, ultimately, the travelling public.

“The Rail Innovation Centre will develop high-value jobs across a range of disciplines and will allow Balfour Beatty to maintain and grow its graduate and technical schemes to develop the next generation of rail engineers.

“We expect to initially employ four graduates, five apprentices and three trainees in the Rail Innovation Centre.”