| Planned rail testing centre has cost taxpayers £70m but hasn't been built Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:44, 13th September 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Planned Gibraltar-sized rail testing centre has cost taxpayers £70m but hasn't been built
The project is based at the former Nant Helen opencast coal mine in Powys
The future of a proposed rail-testing centre that has received £70m of taxpayers' money but still has not been built is to be decided by the Welsh government.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) has not found the private-sector funding it needs as the risk is "too great" for potential investors, its boss has said.
Launched five years ago, the project is based at the former Nant Helen opencast coal mine near Ystradgynlais, Powys.
Ministers are now being asked to approve plans for a data centre there, which GCRE hopes will attract more funding for the rail project.
The Welsh government said GCRE - which it owns - has been "exploring a range of projects to revitalise" the site. "We are working with the company to assess next steps, in light of our productivity mission," a spokesperson added.
The Welsh government has given GCRE £50m since it was set up by Labour in 2021. The former Conservative UK government also provided £20m.
GCRE hoped to find £330m from private backers to transform the mine near Bannau Brycheiniog national park - also known as the Brecon Beacons.
(BBC article continues)
The project is based at the former Nant Helen opencast coal mine in Powys
The future of a proposed rail-testing centre that has received £70m of taxpayers' money but still has not been built is to be decided by the Welsh government.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) has not found the private-sector funding it needs as the risk is "too great" for potential investors, its boss has said.
Launched five years ago, the project is based at the former Nant Helen opencast coal mine near Ystradgynlais, Powys.
Ministers are now being asked to approve plans for a data centre there, which GCRE hopes will attract more funding for the rail project.
The Welsh government said GCRE - which it owns - has been "exploring a range of projects to revitalise" the site. "We are working with the company to assess next steps, in light of our productivity mission," a spokesperson added.
The Welsh government has given GCRE £50m since it was set up by Labour in 2021. The former Conservative UK government also provided £20m.
GCRE hoped to find £330m from private backers to transform the mine near Bannau Brycheiniog national park - also known as the Brecon Beacons.
(BBC article continues)
