Greater Anglia has completed the upgrade of its Colchester depot with new facilities for servicing its new trains. The £2 million project has seen the installation of two new 40,000-litre fuel tanks, a 14-tonne sanding tower, and new toilet tanking equipment.
The new fuel tanks will allow the depot to refuel Greater Anglia's class 755 bi-mode trains, which are powered by diesel and electricity. The new depot will mean time and energy will be saved, as the trains will no longer have to travel to Ipswich or Norwich to refuel.
A sanding tower will be also be used to refill the specialist sanding equipment on board the trains.
The upgrade to the depot comes as the company overhaul its existing fleet. The company has introduced ten new intercity electric trains and have been running on services between Norwich, Ipswich and London. It has also introduced 38 bi-mode trains, that have primarily been running regional routes across Suffolk and Norfolk.
As well as the new intercity trains, 107 of the new class 720 suburban trains are also in operation, running between Liverpool Lime Street and Cambridge in the £1.4 billion investment. That investment has also seen upgrades to carriage depots and platform extensions including the depot at Colchester.
Andrew Goodrum, Greater Anglia's client and programme director, said: "The finished works will mean fewer empty miles are run by our trains overnight, making it better for the environment. They will also keep our trains close by to the line that they serve, which all benefits our customers."
The new toilet tanking equipment will allow the depot to empty and refill the toilets on the new trains. This will improve hygiene and reduce the environmental impact of the trains.
The new trains it is hoped will improve reliability across the company’s network. The Class 755 bi-mode trains were crowned ‘most reliable’ within their category last year. That news came off the back of Greater Anglia posted an 87.4% score for reliability in the Office of Road and Rail’s annual passenger survey in December. It’s highest score ever.
Photo Credit: Greater Anglia
Video Credit: Greater Anglia
Want to know more about the opportunities to become a key supplier to the UK rail industry? Attend TransCityRail and access an exclusive marketplace of buyers from Network Rail, HS2, Train Operators, Major Contractors, and all other tiers of the supply chain. For more information and to secure your place click here.
