Henry Smith MP has been joined by the Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, at the opening of the Three Bridges Traincare facility in Crawley.
The depot, which is already home to two new Class 700 Desiro City trains, will play a significant role in housing and maintaining a new fleet of 115 trains for the Thameslink network.
Henry said;
“I’m pleased that Siemens, Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail chose to locate their new facility at Three Bridges in Crawley, building on the area’s considerable rail heritage. It was a pleasure to show the Transport Secretary around the site.
“Crawley commuters, and people travelling to work from across the south east, can expect a step change in capacity as a result of the new fleet of Class 700 trains.
“At the end of 2018, trains will run in and out of London every two to three minutes, providing a service of up to 24 trains an hour during peak times.
“I’m delighted that as a result of Siemens’ £300 million investment, there will be an estimated 150 jobs based at the site. I’m also pleased that over the course of the next year, 26 apprentices will be based at the new depot.”
The Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, commented;
“Our plan for passengers is delivering real improvements for those who use Thameslink services.
“The opening of this state-of-the-art facility is a major milestone and paves the way for an impressive new fleet of hi-tech trains to come into service from spring next year.
“The improvements will transform rail travel for millions of passengers, with better journeys on fantastic new Class 700 trains, improved connections and upgraded stations.
“The programme is also creating thousands of jobs across the country.”
It is estimated that there will be a combined total of approximately 150 jobs based at Three Bridges, with 1.4 million man hours already accumulated during the construction phase.
During the next year, 26 apprentices will also be based at the site, learning about the new Class 700 train and its various features.
Siemens has invested £300 million in the new depot, with the majority of the construction work being undertaken by VolkerFitzpatrick.
The depot will play a significant part in housing and maintaining the new 1,140 carriage fleet for the expanded Thameslink network, which when complete, will operate from Bedford, Cambridge and Peterborough to Brighton, Horsham, Gatwick Airport, Maidstone and Sevenoaks.
The Government is investing record amounts building a world-class railway and the Thameslink Programme is a vital part of this plan.
The new depot is a collaboration between Siemens, GTR and Network Rail, and is fully-signalled, and incorporates state-of-the-art safety systems and laser measurement which accurately predicts when key train components need to be maintained or replaced.
Other features include the installation of an in-cab simulator at the depot which provides specialist training for Class 700 train drivers.
Crawley residents and commuters will benefit from the world-class facility by experiencing at first-hand improved provision along the line, as the Thameslink Programme is fully realised.
This will include 80 per cent more peak seats across the central London route, between Blackfriars and St Pancras. At the end of 2018, trains will flow in and out of central London every two to three minutes, giving a service of up to 24 trains per hour at peak times.