Publicly owned train operators coordinate maintenance plans to improve efficiency and reduce depot congestion

Train operators in public ownership have started coordinating maintenance plans at Heaton depot in Tyne & Wear to improve efficiency, with plans to expand the approach nationwide.

Northern manages the depot near Newcastle, which is also used by LNER and TransPennine Express for fleet maintenance. Previously, the three operators scheduled work independently, causing capacity issues and bottlenecks as they moved train carriages on and off the site. These problems were worse during timetable changes when routines were disrupted.

Now, all three operators, publicly owned under the Department for Transport Operator (DFTO), collaborate on a single depot plan to maximise capacity, engineering facilities, and track movements.

Tricia Williams, managing director of Northern, said, “Congestion at major depots has been a problem for many years, with different train operators developing maintenance timetables in isolation to suit their own business requirements despite the fact these are shared facilities with operational limitations.” She added, “Being part of DFTO has enabled Northern, along with LNER and TransPennine Express, to work together to deliver a safe and workable plan that meets operator’s engineering requirements whilst simultaneously maximising the depot’s capacity, which is particularly important at timetable change moments when fleet maintenance routines are in flux.”

The rail minister, Lord Hendy, commented, “This is exactly the kind of efficiency that public ownership delivers, with operators working together under one roof to cut waste and improve coordination where it matters.” He added, “By bringing operators into public ownership we’re building a better railway that works for passengers and that delivers better performance, higher revenue and lower costs, leading to growth, jobs and homes as part of this Govts plan for change.”

Garry Roseby, Heaton TrainCare Centre manager, said, “Working together in this way will enable all of the DFTO operators not only to pool their resources more effectively, but to share learning and experiences across teams to create a more efficient TrainCare Centre.”

Following the success at Heaton, DFTO plans to apply the same approach to other depots, with Neville Hill in West Yorkshire next in line.