Japan based company Hitachi Europe Ltd on October 10, 2012, announced the launch of its European Rail Research Centre. The new research centre has been opened to support the global growth of Hitachi’s social innovation business.
The new centre will be located within the Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. office in Central London. This will also be a part of Hitachi Europe’s Transportation Energy & Environmental Research Laboratory, European Research division.
The new research centre will be focusing on a broad range of areas, which include rolling stock design, interior and exterior manufacturing practices, traffic management systems and maintenance. Hitachi already has a network of research facilities throughout Europe which consists of the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, the Hitachi Design Centre Europe, the Automotive R&D Laboratory and the Information and Communication Technology facility.
Hitachi Europe, in April 2011 had established the Transportation Energy and Environmental Research Laboratory, which will expand its European R&D activities; this will cover the railway, coal fired thermal power, power electronics and automotive businesses. Railway system’s are one of Hitachi’s core business areas in Europe, and Hitachi Rail Europe recently agreed to supply, service and maintain the next fleet of rail carriages for the Intercity Express program in the United Kingdom.
