Allerton Train Maintenance Depot is ready to service Northern Rail’s fleet of Northern Electrics trains after a £23m (EUR31m) upgrade by Network Rail.
The fleet of 20 electric trains, which are due to be fully deployed by December 2015, will provide 6.7m additional seats a year to routes between Liverpool, Manchester, Wigan, Preston and Warrington for Northern Rail’s customers.
Located near to Liverpool South Parkway on the busy Manchester to Liverpool line, Network Rail acquired the depot in 2011, transforming it from its near derelict state to a cutting edge maintenance facility, servicing Northern Rail’s fleet of diesel trains.
As part of its North West Electrification Programme, Network Rail, supported by lead contractor Buckingham, then committed to a further package of improvements at Allerton, re-electrifying the depot (after de-electrification in 2009) to accommodate Northern’s electric trains.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “The re-electrified depot at Allerton will help us to deliver more electric trains on the Northern Rail network, expanding the fleet in the north west, and crucially, provide additional seats and capacity for customers.”
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