Modernizing Passenger Rail at an Innovative Advanced Manufacturing Facility

Siemens Mobility’s advanced manufacturing and rail services campus produces some of the most innovative and sustainable passenger coaches in North America. Designed for carbon-neutral manufacturing, the 200-acre campus includes a $220 million passenger coach manufacturing facility and a first-of-its-kind overhauls facility for locomotives and passenger coaches. HDR provided architecture, environmental and engineering design services for the manufacturing facility, from conceptual and final design to engineering construction support. 

During conceptual design, we developed a permitting roadmap identifying studies, engineering milestones, key decision points, permitting steps and schedule requirements to move the project forward. We also conducted an engineering assessment of the facility's civil and hydraulic challenges. Our team partnered with multiple Siemens Mobility and Real Estate divisions to develop an efficient site configuration that incorporates operational requirements for eight buildings, road and rail access, and organizational carbon-neutral sustainability goals. 

Construction manager at-risk, or CMAR, was selected as the delivery method for the manufacturing facility, requiring constant coordination between Siemens Real Estate, Siemens Mobility, the design team and the construction manager. To meet Siemens Mobility’s delivery schedule, we delivered an early grading package in partnership with our subcontractor, enabling the CMAR partner to initiate excavation and mass grading. We developed deliverables at 30% and 90% of final design, issued for permit and issued construction milestones for architecture and engineering design of the site and the buildings’ shell and core. 

To meet a key component of Siemens Mobility’s vision for this facility, we developed a rail connection to the national rail network for distribution of finished products and railcar maintenance services that meet Norfolk Southern and North Carolina Railroad design standards. This connection required the development of a substantial rail bridge, necessitating an analysis of effects on the Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain to provide a “no-rise” certification.

The large-scale campus allows space for future expansion to support growing U.S. demand for passenger rail and intercity travel.