New £23m train maintenance depot unveiled in Blackburn

Rail Minister Paul Maynard MP, Northern and Network Rail have officially opened a new £23 million train maintenance depot in Blackburn.

The facility will be used to maintain up to 30 Northern diesel trains and will be a key part of the modernisation of the railway in the north of England.

Part of the wider Great North Rail Project, the depot was constructed by Network Rail and boasts state-of-the-art engineering equipment as well as advanced environmental features.

In addition to the new maintenance depot, Northern is making a further investment in Blackburn with a new operations facility. Opposite Blackburn station, the facility will provide a base for drivers and conductors working in the area.

(l-r) David Brown (Northern Managing Director), Lauren Jones (Network Rail Scheme Project Manager), Ross Beard (Network Rail Project Manager), Paul Maynard MP (Rail Minister), Liam Sumpter (Northern Regional Director) and Andy Morgan (Network Rail Senior Sponsor). Credit: Ian Southerin

Liam Sumpter, Regional Director at Northern said: “The new depot has been constructed to the highest specification and features a six-track train stabling and maintenance building, as well as train washing and fuelling equipment. The Blackburn site will house trains that will be re-routed following the electrification of the Blackpool to Preston line and, as such, is a vital part of the modernisation of rail in the north of England.”

The depot forms part of an ambitious modernisation programme at Northern and will be home to more than 100 employees. As part of these plans, Blackburn and the surrounding area will also benefit from station improvements, more rail services and new or ‘as new’ trains; all providing better journeys by 2020.

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: “It’s a big step in the transformation of rail services under the Great North Rail Project. It also demonstrates what can be achieved when government, train operators and infrastructure managers work together to put passengers at the heart of everything we do.”

Andy Morgan, Senior Sponsor at Network Rail said: “By 2022 the Great North Rail Project will have delivered more than £1 billion of improvements for customers across the north of England. By increasing capacity by 40 per cent, passengers will see more journeys on better, faster trains. As we unlock capacity across the north as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, Northern and TransPennine Express are upgrading trains and building new ones for customers. We need to ensure there are facilities for these to be cleaned and maintained each night for the benefit of the thousands of customers who travel on them each day.”