GREATER Anglia is to build a £70million depot near Manningtree for its new fleets of Stadler and Bombardier trains.
A 22-acre brownfield site on a former chemical works, next to the River Stour at Brantham, will be cleared to accommodate the 15-road state-of-the-art maintenance depot.
Facilities will include a 300 metre-long, two-road shed building with inspection pits, 13 stabling/servicing roads,
a wheel lathe, washing plant, and remote train monitoring systems.
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Civil engineering company Taylor Woodrow has been appointed to design and build the depot.
Work on the site starts in August, with completion by December 2018, in time to start receiving GA’s new Stadler ‘FLIRT UK’ and Bombardier ‘Aventra’ EMUs in 2019. Commissioning of the new fleet will also take place at Brantham before the trains enter service.
GA managing director Jamie Burles said: “These are exciting plans, integral to our commitment to transform the railway in East Anglia. A depot at Manningtree will enable us to bring in our ambitious new timetable and reduce the amount of time that trains are out of service for maintenance.”
Greater Anglia has also revealed its list of 10 priority infrastructure projects to improve the rail network in East Anglia over the next decade.
Read more in the March issue of The RM – out now!
