Hitachi Rail Europe celebrates progress on Stoke Gifford Train Maintenance Centre

Stoke Gifford, 7 July, 2014 – Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. today celebrated the progress being made on construction of the company’s new Train Maintenance Centre in Stoke Gifford, South Gloucestershire, where the superstructure of the main maintenance building nears completion. This represents a significant milestone in the £80 million facility development, which started back in August 2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.

The ceremony was hosted by Keith Jordan, Managing Director at Hitachi Rail Europe. Local Filton and Bradley Stoke MP, Jack Lopresti, was in attendance, with Council Leader John Calway, Transport Lead Brian Allinson, Communities Lead Claire Young and Amanda Deeks, Chief Executive of the Council, as well as representatives from the local and trade press.

During the event, guests were given a breakdown of the work currently underway at the site and were invited to observe the progress that had so far been made in the construction process.

Once completed, the state-of-the-art depot will comprise a maintenance building with two full-length internal roads, office and staff accommodation space, stabling and servicing roads, and a carriage wash plant.

The facility will serve as one of Hitachi Rail Europe’s maintenance facilities for the new Great Western Main Line rolling stock it is building as part of the Government’s £5.8bn Intercity Express Programme.

Keith Jordan, Managing Director of Hitachi Rail Europe, said: “Today’s site visit gives us the opportunity to look at the tremendous progress being made, which is a reflection of all the hard work that has been undertaken at the Stoke Gifford site over the last 10-12 months. This new plant will serve as a crucial maintenance facility for Hitachi Rail Europe’s service delivery operations on the Great Western Main Line for at least the next 27.5 years and it’s important that we continue to work effectively with our contractors to ensure a state-of-the-art facility is produced.”

Jack Lopresti MP said: “It was very interesting to see the progress made so far in the construction of this state of the art facility. I am pleased that Hitachi has today reconfirmed to me their commitment to filling as many jobs as possible from the local workforce, including apprentices. They are very keen to develop strong links with local educational establishments, engaging young people with the fantastic opportunities offered by a career in engineering.”

Cllr Brian Allinson, Chair of South Gloucestershire Council’s Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee, said: “It’s good to see the new rail maintenance depot taking shape in Stoke Gifford. The project is part of plans to electrify the railway between Bristol and London and will provide a welcome boost to the local economy here in South Gloucestershire.”

Keith Jordan continued: “As a future local employer, Hitachi Rail Europe has already made great strides in becoming a part of the local community. As part of the development on site, Hitachi Rail Europe has re-built a major drainage culvert to mitigate environmental risk and we have taken on local initiatives to improve the park nearby. Our team here has also worked hard to build a strong working relationship with the local community.”

The railway company already has three sites in the UK – its European Headquarter in London, a Train Maintenance Centre in Ashford, Kent, looking after the Javelin High Speed Train fleet, and an office in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. Keith Jordan continued: “Wherever we are, we are keen to have apprenticeship schemes, graduate schemes and to invest in the skills of our future workforce, as we have successfully done in our Maintenance Centre in Kent.”