First Capital Connect has this week launched a new train facility at Cricklewood in North London.

The sidings are located centrally on First Capital Connect’s Thameslink route and will play a key role in getting Class 319 vehicles back into service more quickly. The sidings will provide stabling, first aid maintenance, cleaning and marshalling of the fleet and will enable First Capital Connect to put in place the facilities to significantly enhance the presentation of our trains.

The new location accommodates 36 cleaning, engineering and shunting staff and is managed by John Motton. The sidings enable First Capital Connect to stable 12 four-car units during the day and 21 four-car units overnight.

The new facilities have been carefully planned to ensure the impact on the environment is minimal, choosing to locate the staff accommodation area on previously wasted land and only working with contractors with the highest environmental standards.

John Motton said: “We had to build Cricklewood from the ground up, so it was a great opportunity to work cleaner and smarter from the very start. It was important to get it right the first time as we want Cricklewood to deliver a service that is in line with the high standards that First Capital Connect is working hard to achieve. The opening of the new sidings enables us to bring in-house the cleaning and stabling of the 319 fleet. Routine work will continue to be shared between our depots at Hornsey and Bedford, and the eight units we sub-lease from Southern will continue to be maintained at Selhurst.”

The sidings team are committed to delivering the highest environmental standards possible by putting in place a number of environmentally friendly initiatives including a chemical store with a racked systems and drip trays to isolate potential chemical leaks, separation on on-board rubbish enabling it to be recycled. The sidings will also undergo monthly litter picks to ensure the area is clean and tidy.

Further facilities will be launched over the coming months, including a train washing unit, which will be used to addition to the regular hand washing of trains, and a Controlled Emissions Toilet Tank facility.