Porterbrook adds to its business portfolio with two new deals

Rolling stock leasing firm agrees purchase of Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre and takes stake in Brodie Engineering.

AFTER almost three years of operating the site and having invested £13 million in the improvement of facilities, rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook has agreed to buy the Long Marston

Rail Innovation Centre in Warwickshire from current owner St Modwen Properties Ltd.

Formerly a supply depot for the Royal Engineers, the site was acquired from the Ministry of Defence by St Modwen in 2004, much of it becoming part of the Meon Vale residential and business development.

Porterbrook took over operation of the 135-acre rail facility in June 2021. One of its biggest upgrades has been the creation of an Asset Management Facility (AMF).

Opened last year, the £3 million AMF includes three pitted roads able to accommodate six-car multiple units and can be used for inspections, testing and commissioning as well as on-train and underframe maintenance. Training and office facilities have been modernised. The site has a new security system and improved lighting and road surfaces and has gained ISO 14001 certification for its approach to environmental management.

Porterbrook chief executive Mary Grant said that the takeover provided clarity for the rail industry regarding the centre’s long-term future.

A fortnight earlier, Porterbook confirmed a deal for a 49% stake in Kilmarnockbased Brodie Engineering, which it says will allow it to better support its train fleets in Scotland and across the UK.

Founded in 1996, Brodie specialises in rail vehicle heavy maintenance, refurbishment and overhauls. Operating from Bonnyton Works, in 2020 it also took on the nearby former Andrew Barclay (latterly Wabtec Rail) premises.