Work begins on £35m Derby rail depot upgrade

Work has begun to transform East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) Etches Park depot in Derby in preparation for the arrival of the company’s new Aurora train fleet.

The £35m pound project, which is largely funded by rolling stock company RockRail, will be delivered in two phases, firstly to upgrade the site to accommodate the new bi-mode Aurora fleet and secondly the construction of new train cleaning areas, replacement offices and staff facilities at the sites’ South Shed.

The first phase of works, which comes at a cost of £15m and will be undertaken by Buckingham Group Contracting , will involve reconfiguring the current track layout at the site – helping to improve operational flexibility and greater train movements across the depot.

Alongside these works, the North Shed, where trains are maintained at the depot, will also be extended and a new electric overhead line will be fitted so the new bi-mode fleet can easily be tested.

A new carriage wash system will also be built at the site, all fuelling and servicing equipment will be upgraded, and the depots’ fuel road will be extended – helping to accommodate 2 x 5 car units.

The Aurora trains will enter service in 2023. The fleet is currently being manufactured at Hitachi Rail’s UK factory.

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.”