Rail passengers are benefiting from more reliable trains following the £6.7 million upgrade to Haymarket Maintenance Depot which was officially opened by the Minister yesterday.
Minister for Transport, Tavish Scott visited what is a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the class 170 fleet. The investment into the project will allow maintenance to be carried out in a shorter time and in one location. This will reduce the current time taken for maintenance and repair work to be carried out, and enable First ScotRail to get trains back on the track faster.
The depot has been expanded to enable both light and heavy maintenance work to be carried out to the 170 fleet Turbostar trains, which cover key routes such as Edinburgh-Glasgow and Inverness and Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Fife and Bathgate.
The work included the construction of a new maintenance shed which provides roof access equipment to enable work to be carried out easier, with lifting equipment that allows all three carriages of the train to be worked upon at once, instead of the train being split and each carriage worked upon separately. The work also includes the enhancement of fuelling and servicing facilities, improved track layout and improved staff accommodation which will provide better training facilities.
Upon unveiling a commemorative plaque, Tavish Scott said that:
“Passengers deserve services they can rely on. That is why this investment is so important”.
