, 2009-May-13
Representatives from Siemens Mobility, Transport Scotland, ScotRail, FirstGroup, Network Rail and Clough Smith Rail gathered today at the Shields Traincare Depot in Glasgow to signal the official start of the £24 million construction works to redevelop the existing site. An interworking agreement was signed by all parties and a ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony organised to mark the occasion.
The depot, which is expected to be completed by the end of August next year, will house and maintain a new fleet of 38 Siemens Desiro Class 380 electric trains on Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire routes as well as some of the existing ScotRail fleet. Today’s event follows the news from Transport Scotland last month that up to 130 new jobs will be created in Scotland to operate and maintain the new fleet and expanded depot facilities.
The 130 rail carriages are due to start coming into service from September 2010 - a fleet which will boost Scotland’s transport system by adding more than 9,000 passenger seats. The new Siemens trains will offer better accessibility and improved comfort, as well as a number of environmentally friendly features that maximise energy efficiency.
The redeveloped depot, located at Shields Depot between St Andrews Drive and the mainline railway line to the west of Glasgow city centre, will operate a number of activities including maintenance, interior cleaning, toilet-emptying and re-fuelling as well as housing trains overnight. The depot uses state-of-the-art technologies to maintain the electric trains including Siemens energy efficient lighting and building materials.
Commenting on the new facilities, Dean Philpott, Siemens Mobility Project Director, said: ”This is an exciting project that will considerably improve the appearance of the existing depot and surrounding area. It represents a key milestone for ScotRail and its passengers, allowing trains to be maintained to a high standard and enhancing the quality of rail journeys.”
The first prototype of the Siemens Desiro Class 380 electric train is available for public viewing at Glasgow Central Station until May 20. The 380 mock-up will be gifted to the Museum of Transport in Glasgow in June as a permanent exhibit.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 166 years ago and now employs 18,402 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £3.7 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
As part of Siemens in the UK, Siemens Mobility employs around 1800 people, providing expertise and technology in rolling stock, rail infrastructure, traffic solutions and infrastructure logistics to the UK transport industry.
In Rolling Stock, Siemens Mobility provides and maintains passenger trains for First TransPennine Express, South West Trains, Heathrow Express, National Express East Anglia, Northern Trains and London Midland.
With proven capability in rail automation, Siemens Mobility has recently delivered a major re-signalling project in the Portsmouth areas, traction power upgrades across the UK and new telecommunications systems in London and the west of England. It is also developing the GSM-R cab radio solution for the entire UK rolling stock fleet. For more information on Siemens Mobility please visit www.siemens.co.uk/mobility.
For more information, contact:
Lynn Hepple
PR Manager
Siemens plc
Tel. +44 (0)191 495 3261
Mob: +44 (0)7921 246306
Lynn.hepple@siemens.com