A £6m (€7.14m) rail innovation and training centre has opened at Barrow Hill in Chesterfield, providing dedicated education, research and development, and commercial facilities for businesses operating in the rail sector, as reported by East Midlands Business Link.

The Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle, known as DRIIVe, was developed by Chesterfield Borough Council and Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society, with the majority of funding provided through the Government-backed Staveley Town Deal. Additional investment came from the East Midlands Combined County Authority and Chesterfield Borough Council.

The facility includes classrooms, training areas, research and development facilities, a digital laboratory and commercial workshop space, providing a multi-function environment designed to serve both individual learners and businesses across the rail supply chain.

DRIIVe is managed by Barrow Hill Ltd and will support education and training from Level Two through to postgraduate research, serving learners across a broad range of career stages within the rail industry. The breadth of provision makes it one of the more comprehensive dedicated rail training facilities to open in the East Midlands in recent years.

Businesses will also be able to use the centre to develop and test new technologies, access specialist facilities and support their growth within the rail supply chain, positioning DRIIVe as both an educational and commercial resource for the sector rather than a training-only facility.

The centre was officially opened by Ivan Fomin, Independent Business Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, and is intended to strengthen skills and innovation across the East Midlands rail sector at a time of sustained industry investment in infrastructure modernisation across the UK.

Barrow Hill in Chesterfield has a longstanding association with rail heritage through the Barrow Hill Engine Shed, which houses one of the UK's surviving operational roundhouses. The development of DRIIVe on the same site connects contemporary rail skills and innovation infrastructure with an established industrial location that already serves as a focal point for the sector in the region.