GREAT Western Railway and Greater Anglia have both announced new depots will be built to house some of their new stock now on order. The GWR depot will be alongside Exeter St Davids station, while the GA one will be just north of Manningtree on the Essex/Suffolk border.
The £40 million depot in Exeter will house more of GWR’s regional fleet displaced by the introduction of Hitachi-built IEP sets from this year. It will be built alongside the existing servicing facilities, and will provide enhanced servicing, cleaning and maintenance facilities. The plans also include office and welfare facilities for staff. Subject to planning consent being secured, construction is expected to begin in spring 2018 for opening in mid-2019.
Greater Anglia’s new facility will be built in Brantham on the site of a derelict chemical works factory on the north bank of the River Stour. It will be used for stabling and light maintenance of about 20 of the new trains due to arrive in East Anglia from 2019, which will be commissioned into service from the new depot. The electrified depot is expected to open in December 2018 with 13 servicing sidings and a two-track, 300-metre shed that will have inspection pits, overhead cranes and a wheel lathe.
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Design work and construction planning has begun, and the site is due to be cleared in March so that building can begin in summer.
Read more News in the April issue of RE – out now!
