Greater Anglia has enhanced the reliability of its Ilford depot in east London by boosting operational flexibility during essential maintenance. This depot is vital for the round-the-clock maintenance and cleaning of the company’s commuter train fleet.
The expansive facility features 23 external lines for train movements and stabling, along with 16 internal lines within a train shed for maintenance and cleaning. Additionally, it houses a carriage washing machine that trains pass through before entering passenger service.
Previously, any need to switch off the carriage washing machine, such as for scheduled maintenance, required shutting down the power supply to the entire depot’s sidings, halting all train movements. This necessitated extensive planning to avoid delays and mitigate the impact on train services.
Now, a special switch has been installed, allowing the overhead power line for the carriage washing machine to be isolated independently from the rest of the depot’s power supply. This improvement ensures that train movements can continue uninterrupted, maintaining passenger service schedules.
Simone Bailey, Asset Management Director at Greater Anglia, said:
“This is a small but significant piece of work that means the resilience of our crucial Ilford depot is improved.
“It means the reliability, punctuality and cleanliness of our train services can remain high for our customers across the Greater Anglia network.”
Image credit: Greater Anglia
