Testing and training at the GCR

The Great Central Railway is the perfect venue for your rail industry testing and training needs. Our facilities – unrivalled on any other private railway in the UK are often available at short notice, cutting the red tape and the cost of getting access to the national network.

If you have a new vehicle to test, or have staff to train, make us your venue of choice. We’re in the heart of the country, just minutes from junction 23 of the M1. To arrange a visit or to discuss how we could help you, please call us on 07501 276311

Sensible prices, civilised times, top facilities. It’s as simple as that.

Download our Rail Testing Fact Sheet

Contact our Head of Infrastructure, Russ Bradley 07501 276311

We can offer you...

• Vehicle / locomotive testing at speeds of up to 75mph on our double track.
• 25 ton axle loading.
• An 8 mile main line with gentle gradients, fully signalled using absolute block.
• A sixty foot turntable.
• On site class room/meeting and dining facilities in several locations to suit your needs.
• High quality on train catering (including Pullman train and Inspection saloon) for entertaining / product launches.
• On site engineering facilities.
• A dedicated road / rail transfer siding which can handle the biggest vehicles.
• Years of experience working alongside the industry’s biggest names.

Our clients include...

• Network Rail
• SERCO
• EWS
• Mercedes Benz
• Wabtec

"It was reassuring to deal with people who consistently demonstrated a ‘can do’ approach.”

Network Rail 
About The Railway

The Great Central Railway is an established heritage railway based in Loughborough, Leicestershire. Part of a former main line, it is has light gradients (maximum 1 in 176) and gentle curves.

There are no tunnels and only one foot crossing. There are four stations, one of which, Quorn & Woodhouse, has a large open yard. It is an ideal site for demonstrations and is also the location of the loading and unloading siding for transferring vehicles to and from the railway by road.

With advance planning, the double track can allow our heritage activities to continue while your testing work is underway. Where you require complete possession and privacy we can of course facilitate this too.