The Department for Transport has announced that the government investment will be used to deliver a new maintenance facility in West Yorkshire.
The facility will be known as the Shipley TrainCare Centre and will benefit from around £100 million to provide further resilience to the rail network in the North of England. This comes with the Transpennine Route Upgrade working to improve journeys between York, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Manchester by reducing journey times and carbon emissions.
Huw Merriman, Rail Minister, visited the site of the facility and spoke about the work being done:
“It’s great to be returning to West Yorkshire with another significant announcement to boost rail travel for passengers across the North, demonstrating this government’s plan to invest in infrastructure and support the region’s huge potential for growth.
“Today marks by fourth visit to Bradford and its surrounding areas in the past 5 months, with this investment creating new jobs and more reliable services as we accelerate our multi-billion-pound Transpennine route upgrade to transform rail journeys for generations to come.”
Construction work on the TrainCare Centre is expected to begin later this year, and it will host Northern Rail’s electric train fleet for use across West Yorkshire, whilst also supporting essential maintenance works and better reliability for passengers.
Local employment opportunities will also be delivered by the facility, as 80% of the workforce will be hired from inside a 40-mile radius of the route, with this boosting the economy in West Yorkshire.
Managing Director of TRU, Neil Holm, also commented:
“We’re delighted to reveal our plans for this major investment in Shipley, demonstrating the Transpennine route upgrade’s commitment to supporting local communities and creating local jobs.
“This new depot will support rail services while we carry out essential improvements and will also leave long-lasting legacy benefits for the town going forward.”
Image credit: iStock
