New education centre opens at Great Central Railway

A new education centre that will be used to train apprentice engineers has been opened at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.

The Robinson Centre will be used to teach apprentices at the heritage railway and host engagement programmes with local schools.

The new facility is located at the railway's locomotive repair works at the north end of Loughborough station.

Martin Traynor, chair of Loughborough Town Deal - which backed the project with £280,000 of funding - said the centre would help train the next generation of rail engineers.

As well as the new centre, the project also included the refurbishment of the existing locomotive shed where the restoration and maintenance of historic steam trains takes place.

The total cost of the project is £780,000, Charnwood Borough Council said.

Mr Traynor said: "The education centre is a state-of-the-art building with modern technology to teach the next generation of engineers, while also demonstrating the heritage of the site.

"We are proud to have supported a project which will help continue their work for years to come."

The funding provided by Loughborough Town Deal was part of a £16.9m pot received from the government's Towns Fund.

Malcolm Holmes, general manager at the Great Central Railway, added the organisation was "incredibly grateful" for the investment.

"As a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation, this backing is vital," he said.

"It helps us protect the railway for generations to come, preserve traditional engineering skills and inspire the young people who will carry this heritage forward.

"The Robinson Centre will play a key role in ensuring our history remains alive for the future."

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