The publicly owned operators Northern, LNER and TransPennine Express have started to coordinate their maintenance plans at the Heaton depot in Tyne & Wear with the aim of optimising capacity and reducing congestion at this shared facility.
Until now, each company organised its tasks independently, which created bottlenecks and space problems, especially during railway timetable changes, when the usual routines are disrupted.
To maximise the use of the facilities and the efficiency of train movements at the Northern-owned depot, the three operators (which are part of the Department for Transport Operator (DFTO), the Department for Transport’s operator) work together to create a single maintenance plan.
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Tricia Williams, Northern’s managing director, said that this cooperation allows “to deliver a safe and functional plan that meets the engineering needs of each operator while maximising the capacity of the depot, which is crucial at times of schedule change”.
The success of this initiative in Heaton has led the DFTO to plan its extension to other depots around the country, with Neville Hill in West Yorkshire next on the list.