PROGRESS has been made on a new rail project set to serve as a future home for Northern’s electric train fleet.
The TrainCare Centre is being built in Shipley as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), with more than £100 million being invested at the site.
Once operational, it will be used to house and maintain Northern’s electric trains on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines.
Rob Warnes, strategic development director for Northern, said: "It is fantastic to see the initial work that has been done at Shipley to prepare for the delivery of the brand new TrainCare Centre which will be the future home for most of our electric train fleets in West Yorkshire.
"Not only is the delivery of this new site vital for delivering future work taking place as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, it will also bring highly skilled jobs into the local area and provide key resilience for our network in this part of the world."
The depot will be especially important during a future phase of the TRU in 2028, when access to Northern’s Neville Hill depot in Leeds will be restricted.
The alternative facility in Shipley will help minimise disruption to rail services.
Cllr Hinchcliffe said: "It's great to see this major investment in Shipley begin to take shape, which is another vote of confidence in the district from the industry and further positions Bradford as a great place to do business.
"Today I saw firsthand how the new depot will be an important part of operating rail in the north of England, increasing service reliability for rail users, as well as its role in increasing employment opportunities for local people and developing skills through regeneration.
"I'd like to thank TRU and Northern for bringing us up to speed with the project, it's great to see such progress being made."
The site, a former scrapyard, has been cleared and levelled, including the removal of contaminated soil.
A large retaining wall has also been built on the western edge to support the construction and safe operation of the centre.
Following the completion of the TRU, Northern will keep the depot open with up to 100 permanent employees.
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