04 March 2024

Mavin is deploying its containerised prefabricated Powercube data centre to the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GRCE) in Onllwyn, South Wales.

The 550-acre GRCE facility, expected to open next year, is a government-owned site dedicated to the research, testing, and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure, and new rail technologies.

GCRE will deploy a custom-designed and built Powercube – a multi-unit and combined Containerised Modular Data Centre (CMDC), Signal Equipment Room (SER), and an interconnecting Access and Staging Unit – to support the testing operations that will be carried out at the railway site.

The Powercube, which will be pre-built off-site in Neath, will support clients with data analysis as they undertake testing and research on the site’s two rail tracks – a 7km track for rolling stock testing, and a second track for infrastructure innovation.

The UK currently has no all-purpose railway testing centre, with most vehicles being tested in Europe at sites such as Wildenrath in Germany or Velim in the Czech Republic.

“We are delighted to agree this partnership with Mavin and to utilise their cutting-edge Powercube design at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence site,” said GCRE Limited chief executive, Simon Jones. “The ambition is to establish GCRE as Europe’s premier site for rail innovation, becoming a one-stop shop for the rail sector, serving markets not just in the UK but across Europe and the Middle East. In providing world-class research and testing facilities, it’s important that the supporting infrastructure that we have on-site is of the highest quality – and is as forward-looking as the innovation we will be doing on our tracks.”

“We are extremely proud to be involved with this pivotal project from the start, and are looking forward to strengthening the partnership with GCRE over the next few years, as opportunities for broader engagement with GCRE and other critical industries allow us to evolve our solutions to meet the demands of the future,” said Mavin founder and Powercube director, Russ Bartley.