Network Rail reveals new £46m train depot in Wigan as part of investment project

A new £46m train depot is to be built in Wigan as part of Network Rail’s Great North Rail project which see a multi-billion pound package of improvements on rail infrastructure throughout the North by 2022.

The rail organisation is adapting an existing freight yard at Springs Branch railway sidings in Ince-in-Makerfield to stable and maintain 24 electric and eight diesel trains. Work has already started on the site with the state-of-the-art depot set to provide more flexibility for Northern to move their trains overnight in preparation for services the next day.

It is all part of the Great North Rail Project, which aims to meet the growth in passenger numbers, which is set to double over the next 25 years. The depot in Wigan will create 20 jobs and is expected to be operational by December 2019.

Lauren Jones, Network Rail project manager, said: “At Springs Branch sidings, we’re investing £46m to enhance an existing site by the West Coast main line by building brand new train maintenance facilities for Northern. This brand new depot that forms part of the Great North Rail Project not only delivers a jobs boost for Greater Manchester, but the facilities it will provide will help transform passenger journeys across the North.”

Work at the Springs Branch railway will also see the installation of new overhead line equipment to power the electric trains and provide staff accommodation, train washing and fuelling facilities.

Ben Ackroyd, engineering director at Northern, said: "The new maintenance depot is a key part of our wider modernisation programme. By 2020 we will have retired all Pacers, refurbished our entire fleet and, of course, will have introduced our brand new electric and diesel trains. We will need state-of-the-art facilities to look after these trains and Springs Branch is a key part of this. We look forward to working with Network Rail on this project which is clear evidence, not only of partnership railway in action, but also of the economic benefit the railway brings to the region."