£10 million depot will keep trains moving through Manchester

Network Rail has unveiled a new £10 million rail maintenance depot to ensure freight and passenger trains continue to move smoothly through Greater Manchester.
The facility, based at Guide Bridge, is home to over 120 Network Rail staff who work night and day.

It brings together four separate track maintenance teams under one roof for the first time, with the aim of better collaboration and faster response times to fix railway faults, resulting in fewer delays.

The site has 60 solar panels installed which will provide 44% of the depot’s energy, and 10 new electric vehicle charging points as part of Network Rail’s commitment to move to all-electric vehicles in the near future.

Clare Waller, Network Rail’s interim north west route director, said: “It’s fantastic to see this new depot at Guide Bridge now in use and provide modern facilities for the teams based there so they can respond to incidents and maintain the railway for passengers and freight in Greater Manchester.

“The teams have worked across multiple temporary buildings and not the best of environments for many years, so I’m sure this new striking building with top-notch accommodation will make a massive difference to them and the work they are able to achieve.”