Arcadis has been selected by Siemens Real Estate to provide project management services for a manufacturing facility project in Lexington, N.C. The global design and consultancy organization for natural and built assets will contribute their expertise to the $220 million project in the form of construction of a new rail car factory to manufacture rolling stock, including passenger rail cars, as well as the ability to provide maintenance and customer service as a part of factory operations.
This appointment follows a nearly year-long relationship with Siemens on this project, during which Arcadis played a role in engaging with both local, state and national stakeholders to identify and narrow down site options that work best for Siemens Real Estate and Siemens Mobility and other organizations involved in the project based on concept design. Arcadis also aided in project design through conceptual layout, cost estimating and is now transitioning into pre-construction services, project management and construction management.
Arcadis is providing renewable energy planning services to help evaluate the power generation potential for solar panels to be installed as part of the facility. The company is committed to bringing the world of transportation into a more sustainable future, prioritizing these carbon neutral projects and propelling net-zero operations.
"Increasingly, our clients are looking to us to help support their carbon reduction strategies in locations all around the world, whether that's through sustainable design or advising on wider carbon reduction strategies. The buildings we design and manage today need to be net-zero ready, but also, when it comes to site selection, it's important the facilities we help create can support the wider environmental, social and economic sustainability of the communities in which they are located," said Marjolijn Versteegden, global solutions director for net zero facilities and sustainable communities at Arcadis.
"Transportation has long been associated with high energy output and carbon emissions, and so our aim is to help all our clients reach sustainability objectives that will allow the public to travel while reducing harm to the environment. Arcadis is proud to have the opportunity to assist Siemens Real Estate and Siemens Mobility in this important project, and we look forward to contributing to the area around the city of Lexington and the state of North Carolina," said Nilesh Parmar, places business area director for Arcadis in the U.S.
This project is expected to bring more than 500 jobs to North Carolina, strengthening the local economy and providing additional support to the rail industry.
"Arcadis is an important partner that not only helped us identify the right location for our east coast manufacturing facility, but also advising the right solutions to help reach project objectives on a tight timeline. We're all looking forward to seeing this through to full operation and the benefits it will bring to the local economy and to transit operators across the country," said Marc Buncher, CEO of Siemens Mobility North America.
The announcement regarding site selection took place on March 7, with the North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and other officials in attendance. Initial groundbreaking is set to begin this summer, with operations beginning in 2024 and the first vehicles being delivered in 2025.
