03.09.15
Network Rail’s new mobile maintenance trains set to enter service
The first of Network Rail’s new fleet of mobile maintenance trains (MMTs) is to enter service this week.
Based at locations around the country, the eight MMTs will provide a ‘workshop on wheels’ for engineers and track workers as they carry out repairs, renewals and upgrades to Britain’s 20,000-mile rail network.
Each train will have a workshop, two built-in 2t cranes to move heavy equipment, multiple power points (400V, 110V, hydraulic and pneumatic) and will be able carry all the tools and supplies the engineers could need, alongside a welfare area with kitchen and toilet.
Colas Rail is to operate and maintain the fleet, which have been manufactured by engineering experts Robel, in Freilassing, Germany, under a three-year deal.
The MMTs will be delivered to Network Rail over the next 12 months, with the first one to arrive being based in Darlington. The second, which will be based at Paddock Wood in Kent, will arrive in October, and the third which will be Derby-based should be here in December.
The remaining five will be stationed at Woking, Retford, Romford, Peterborough and Horsham.
Neal Lawson, Network Rail’s maintenance director, said: “These new trains mean our frontline staff can complete a wide range of maintenance and repairs more quickly and efficiently, reducing the need for costly and disruptive closures of the tracks. They’ll also keep our people safe, warm and dry and better able to focus on getting the job done.”
According to Network Rail, the MMT’s key feature is the large, extendable work area that allows access to the track below, provides cover, floodlighting and – crucially – protection from passing trains.
Corey White, an MMT supervisor based in Darlington, will be among the first of Network Rail’s frontline staff to benefit from the new trains. He said: “These new trains will make a massive difference to my team. We can get on the train at the depot with all the kit we need for a job and head straight to site. My favourite feature is the all-round lighting, which means we get pretty much perfect working conditions whatever the weather or time of day.”