Rail service improvements and disruptions

£46m depot unveiled in Wigan

Officially opened on Friday (Feb 7^th) the new £46m state-of-the-art train depot in Wigan has been built by Network Rail alongside Arriva Rail North.

The depot will provide a home for many of Northern’s new trains that will be cleaned and cared for, allowing the operator greater flexibility to uphold its fleet, therefore improving performance and punctuality for rail passengers.

Local politicians and rail industry representatives attend the opening of the deport which was built by Network Rail as part of the Great North Rail Project. It is located next to an existing freight train yard at Spring Branch in Ince-in-Makerfield and has created 18 new jobs in the area.

The depot will provide Northern extra space for maintaining 24 electric and eight diesel trains overnight in preparation for service across the north the day after.

The £46m funding by the Department for Transport has involved 3,400m of new track, 42 new pylons and 2,600m of new overhead line equipment. Five new service platforms have been constructed and 1,750m of walkways for staff who will operate the facility safely.

Leader of Wigan Council, Councillor David Molyneux said: “This is a fantastic new facility for Wigan Borough and we hope the enhanced travel experience encourages passengers to visit Wigan. Supporting people into work and helping people to develop their skills is a key priority for the council so it’s great to hear that 18 new jobs have been created to facilitate this.”

Managing Director of Arriva UK Trains, Chris Burchell said: “I’m proud of the teams that have been involved in building this new £46m facility, which is part and parcel of a wider transformation of rail in the north. We’ve already rolled out 62 of the 101 promised new trains and set strong foundations for future improvement on the network, including the complete removal of pacers by May.”

Lauren Rodgers, Project Manager at Network Rail said: “The rail industry has come together to build this £46m new train depot at Springs Branch, and we’re really happy to have created 18 jobs.

“But, this much-needed infrastructure will really benefit passengers, as it not only helps keep trains clean and tidy, it also creates more operational space for Northern to move units more reliably and punctually across the north west."

 Images: Northern