THE construction of the new manufacturing facility for Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Newport has reached a major milestone.

The structure of the factory, located at Llanwern’s Celtic Business Park is complete, and work will commence on fitting out the plant in time for production to commence this Autumn.

Earlier this week, representatives from the UK senior management team visited the site for an update, which will build suburban and metro trains, high-speed trains and trams and create 300 new jobs.

Richard Garner, the UK director of the Spanish-based organisation, said: "We have reached an important milestone in the factory's construction and the project is running like clockwork - on budget and on time.

“The new manufacturing facility will be key to CAF's growing business operations within the UK and delivering manufacturing contracts the company has already secured."

The global manufacturer of specialist railway product, components and systems is investing £30m to get the new factory up and running and has received significant grant support from the Welsh Government’s Inward Investment Programme.

Recruitment is already underway, with job opportunities for skilled technicians and engineers, management and support staff, as well as apprenticeships.

The new manufacturing facility will also boost the wider UK rail industry supply chain as CAF plans to develop a “cluster” of local and national companies to supply components for its trains.

CAF investigated more than 100 locations across the UK before selecting Celtic Business Park for its 46,000 square metre factory site.

The location was chosen for its links to roads, rail and ports, as well as the availability of local people with engineering skills.

A camera drone was used for the first time during the on-site inspection to capture stunning new images of the factory's exterior and interior - clearly showing the size and scale of the new building.