Work has started on a £35 million upgrade of Derby’s East Midlands Railway depot.
The work, largely funded by rolling stock company Rock Rail, is underway at the Etches Park depot in preparation for the arrival of East Midlands Railway's new Aurora train fleet.
The £15 million first phase of the work will see the site upgraded to accommodate the new bi-mode Aurora fleet – which will have both diesel and electric engines.
The second phase will see the construction of new train cleaning areas, replacement offices and staff facilities at the sites' South Shed.
The first phase is being undertaken by Buckingham Group Contracting, and involves reconfiguring the current track layout to make it easier to move trains across the depot.
The North Shed, where trains are maintained, will be extended and a new electric overhead line fitted to test the new fleet.
New technology will include a vehicle equipment monitoring system which feeds live back data to allow East Midlands Railway to monitor what's happening in real-time.
The new Aurora trains, being built at Hitachi Rail’s UK factory, will enter service in 2023, and will have more seats than the current fleet, as well as air conditioning, free WiFi, plug sockets and better passenger information screens.
Lisa Angus, transitions and projects director at East Midlands Railway, said: “These massive improvements to Etches Park are great news for the city of Derby and the customers we serve.
"Using the latest technology and techniques, we will be able to operate our new Aurora fleet as efficiently as possible, while also maintaining specialist engineering jobs in the city for decades to come - helping to cement Derby’s proud railway heritage.
“Everyone at EMR is very excited to begin operating our new Aurora trains for our customers in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire and these new improvements are another important step on our journey to bring the new trains to the regions we serve.”
Rock Rail founder and chief executive Mark Swindell said the company is providing £30 million of funding for the plans.
He said: "Rock Rail is delighted to support EMR and this important investment into Derby Etches Park, which when coupled with the new Aurora units, will deliver a great improvement for customers and the railway.
"We are bringing together track and train investment to deliver a system improvement. Improvements to Etches Park will facilitate the new bi-modes unit and allow flexibility to operate in diesel or electric mode.
“Rock is committed to this flexible solution as the EMR network develops over time."
Elaine Clark, chief executive officer of Rail Forum Midlands, said: "It is great to see the preparations for the arrival of the Aurora fleet taking shape with the investment in the Etches Park Depot in Derby.
“This is great news, not just for passengers and EMR, but also for ensuring skilled jobs are retained and helping to encourage further investment for the city.”
