A £40 million investment and over 150 jobs are being earmarked for South Yorkshire as part of Network Rail's plans to create a new National Engineering Centre at Woodhouse junction near Beighton, Sheffield.

The centre will be the new national hub for maintaining Network Rail's vital fleet of engineering trains and on-track plant and machinery. The plans are being unveiled for the first time at a public exhibition in Beighton which ran between 28 April and 5 May 2007.

The new facility will:
* Create 160 jobs
* Regenerate an area of disused railway land
* Create apprenticeships giving opportunities for aspiring local engineers
* Incorporate some of the latest 'green' building technologies such as: * generation of some of its own electricity * water recycling
* Be a cutting edge maintenance centre for the company's national fleet of engineering trains and equipment
* Be surrounded by extensive landscaping of trees and shrubs

Peter Henderson, Projects and Engineering Director, said: "Our plans are great news for the local area as they represent a big investment for the region and the creation of much needed jobs. "The railway is thriving and this national hub will help to keep it running safely and effectively for years to come."

The site was chosen for a number of key reasons:
* Its central geographical location
*Its excellent links to the national rail network
* The opportunity to regenerate a large amount of disused railway land
* Availability of a local skilled workforce backed up by the railway foundation degree being based at Sheffield Hallam University and South Yorkshire's proud history of engineering expertise

Mr Henderson concluded: "Technical innovation is at the heart of our plans to develop and improve the railways. This centre will allow us to develop new and better ways of maintaining our fleet by ensuring we have the right people with the right skills and attitude centred in a single purpose-built site. It is a crucial part of our investment in the future of the rail network."