The doors have officially opened on Nexus’s brand-new £70 million depot in Gosforth. This facility, constructed by Stadler and VolkerFitzpatrick, replaces the historic 100-year-old depot.
The depot is built on the existing site, and will be used to look after the existing metro fleet and the new trains, also built by Stadler as they start to arrive.
Cathy Massarella, managing director of Nexus said: : “It’s fantastic to see that the new £70m Gosforth Metro depot has been completed on time. Huge thanks go to the teams at Stadler and VolkerFitzpatrick for doing such a superb job as well as our own project team.
“The new depot will revolutionise Metro train maintenance. It’s transformative for the teams who work there, and provides a state of the art home for the new Metro train fleet. It brings fleet maintenance into the 21st century, ensuing that we have the very best facilities for many years to come.”
The depot is designed with worker in mind, offering an enhanced working environment. Workers will enjoy a cleaner, brighter environment, complete with dedicated training and support spaces.
Paul Patrick, managing director for Stadler Rail Service UK said: “After three years of hard work, the new facility is now an asset to the local area and one that local residents and the wider community can be proud of. It has been built to a very high standard, with quality and precision at its heart, and its technologically sophisticated features will mean that trains can be maintained efficiently and speedily.”
The depot itself offers multiple improved facilities including 17 new train stabling lanes, overhead lines and signaling systems, inspection roads and pits and wash plant for train exteriors amongst other improvements. It also boasts a new control room for digital train movement management.
The arrival of the 46 new Stadler-built trains is expected soon, with testing currently being conducted.
Massarella added: “It’s been built on exactly the same site as the previous Metro depot, but these new buildings bring a step change in quality. It’s a cleaner and brighter working environment, boasting a range of features to save energy and cut carbon emissions.”
Photo: istock
