Northern has carried out essential upgrades by installing a new train fuelling and servicing facility. The upgrades will allow the rail operator to run six-car Class 195 between Cumbrian and Manchester Airport and will support increased capacity for passengers. Capacity will be doubled thanks to the upgrade and will create a more reliable service for customers.

The upgrades come as part of the Manchester Recovery Task Force.

The new serving road is 75m in length, allowing up to three carriages to be serviced and refuelled at a time. Prior to the upgrades, the site could only cater for one carriage at a time. The upgrade has also seen a steel canopy built in order to give staff shelter whilst creating a home for the new equipment. The project has also seen pumps upgraded and energy-efficient lighting put in place.

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in this project for their hard work, including the support provided by our engineering team.”

“The new facilities have meant that trains are able to be serviced faster, keeping them out in-service for our customers–improving reliability for the region and beyond.”

“Of the 3,000 new services a week introduced in our December 2022 timetable, 2,000 were in the North West. With this uplift, there was a need for a facility equal to that growth.”

The essential upgrade work was carried out in partnership with RTS Infrastructure Services.

Chris Reid, managing director at RTS Infrastructure Services Limited, said “It was a privilege to play a part in delivering the investment in the local area. I would like to personally thank the depot team for their support and proactive attitude that was fundamental in delivering the depot enhancements in a safe and timely manner. A masterclass in teamwork and flexibility. The results demonstrate the RTS team’s capabilities to deliver large-scale depot enhancement programmes while minimising impacts to depot operations.”

Craig Wood, project manager at Northern said: “This project was delivered to very tight timescales and was made possible by a truly collaborative approach by all stakeholders. Our delivery partner, Northern’s engineering and facilities team, together with our project team, worked closely together to implement innovative ideas to ensure that the project was delivered to schedule.”

Sunday the 21st of May will see Northern bring its new summer timetable online. Customers are advised to check the timetables before making journeys, especially those who travel regularly.

To see the timetable, please visit: http://www.northernrailway.co.uk/timetablechange