Work is underway on an £8m redevelopment for First Great Western at its St Phillips Marsh depot in Bristol.

The work is designed to improve train punctuality by offering a state-of-the-art depot, centrally located for First Great Western’s network.

The development will be adjacent to First Great Western’s existing High Speed Train depot at St Philips Marsh and will involve the creation of a new maintenance shed, the extension of an existing maintenance shed, new sidings and a carriage washing plant.|

It will allow improved maintenance for the company’s fleet of Diesel Multiple Units trains which operate on former Wessex Trains routes, from Cardiff Central to Portsmouth, the Devon and Cornwall branch lines, Bristol to Penzance and Weymouth, Bristol urban services and Swindon to Southampton.

First Great Western’s Engineering Director, Graham Boot-Handford says: “This significant investment will help us to provide cleaner and more reliable trains for our customers. Firstly, the new depot at Bristol will enable us to use the most modern facilities and techniques. Secondly, evidence from train operators around the country shows that being able to return a train to a depot rapidly if it develops a fault helps boost performance. The new development at Bristol, along with our existing Exeter depot, will allow us to do that for the majority of our West routes.”

First Great Western is extending an existing 60 metre long maintenance shed by around 15 metres so it can accommodate two, three-carriage trains. The working environment for staff will be improved by the installation of modern fume extraction and lighting and new points will be installed for supplies such as fuel, oil, and water.

Two new tracks will be installed at sidings for overnight storage of the trains, and the latest technology will be used in the carriage washing plant, so that water and chemicals can be recycled to minimise the environmental impact.
When the work is completed, and trains enter the depot, staff will first refuel the trains. They will then travel either to the extended maintenance shed and before entering service the next day will be cleaned in the new carriage washing facility.

Existing facilities, which form part of the High Speed Train depot, will also be available to improve the maintenance of the DMU fleet. These include a lathe for repairs to wheels and heavy lifting equipment to allow work on undercarriage equipment to be carried out more easily.

The investment at the St Philips March depot is part of First Great Western’s commitment to invest £200m after winning the Greater Western franchise. Much of the investment will be focused on the train fleet. As well as the new depot facilities at Bristol, the interiors of the entire DMU fleet will be refurbished, while the company’s High Speed Train fleet will be fitted with new interiors, and cleaner, more reliable engines.

Robbie Burns, Network Rail's Western Route Director, said: "We are delighted to be working with First Great Western to develop the depot in Bristol. This is part of a wider plan to improve train performance for the benefit of the travelling public in the West Country."